


Co-op

by Parrot_gel83



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: AHIT fandom I am so sorry for that first relationship tag, But like the worst thing that the kidnappers do is eat food the wrong way so, Character-Driven Story, Did I ever specify that this takes place like four years after the game uh whoops, Everything said about the alpha/beta/prototype versions may not be factually accurate, I'm gonna get shot for shipping Timmy and Bow aren't I, Kidnapping, Multi, Multiple Timelines, Rare Pair, Surprisingly there's a lot more angst in here than I intended, The kids are 16/17 years old in this btw, There are two Hat Kids, Timmy has powers and stuff this is honestly kinda canon, Timmy is an idiot and I love him, i guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:14:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 74,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25455256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Parrot_gel83/pseuds/Parrot_gel83
Summary: There were a lot of ways that Timmy liked to enjoy a Saturday. Eating chicken nuggets, hanging out with his best friend, pranking the local mechanic that lived in Mafia Town...Going to another timeline, however, was not at the top of his list.
Relationships: Bow Kid/Timmy (A Hat in Time), Hat Kid/Mustache Girl (A Hat in Time)
Comments: 126
Kudos: 82





	1. Glitchy Time Rift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no... I'm really doing this, huh? Okay, anyway, the kids are teens in this and are roughly between the ages of 16 and 17. There are also two timelines in this: Timmy's timeline, which is basically the game before its final release and has all of the cut characters and locations, and Bow's timeline, which is the final game and its DLCs. I'm probably gonna get killed for shipping Timmy and Bow because... reasons, but this fanfic is for that one person who said that they shipped these two in the AHiT 2020 Google Docs poll. Hope you're out there, whoever you are.

Timmy wasn’t a big fan of time rifts.

Sure, they were cool and all, but sometimes, they tended to be tediously long, which failed to keep Timmy’s very small attention span. He had no problem hovering over the platforms with ease, but his friend always insisted on doing things the “correct” way, which involved doing a bit of parkour to get through each section of the rift.

He didn’t really see how failing to make a jump twenty-five times (yes, he was counting) was the correct way to traverse through this rift, but if he brought that up, he was sure to get an umbrella to the face.

“UGH! This jump is impossible!”

Timmy raised an eyebrow and turned to his friend, who was staring at the platform in front of her, grumbling.

“Hey, HK,” Timmy began, floating down to the platform she was currently on. “I could always fly you over to the exit and we could, you know, _finally_ be done with this section?”

HK shook her head. “It’s not my fault that the platforms are twitchy! Haven’t you noticed that some of the platforms keep on glitching in and out of existence, or all over the place?”

Timmy glanced around the area, noticing that indeed, some of the platforms were glitching. In fact, the whole area around them was glitching, giving the rift an almost static-like quality to it. He could barely make out the setting of their current level: the dead center of the Subcon Forest.

It looked slightly different than what Timmy was used to, but he brushed it off as normal Time Rift logic. There was a set of platforms made out of crimson leaves spiraling up around a massive, twisted tree. Scattered around those platforms were a bunch of purple and green mushrooms, which helped give HK a boost when making a difficult jump. There were also a ton of tiny cyan mushrooms that appeared to be glowing; it made the tree look like it was decorated with fairy lights when viewed from far away, giving it a hauntingly enchanting presence and look. In the bark, there was a strange opening at the bottom, which almost looked like a face had been carved into it.

He shook his head. “This whole place is weird, man.”

Somehow, as he was taking in his surroundings, HK had finally managed to make it to the top of the tree, bouncing on the big icy blue mushroom that held the exit to their current section.

“I did it, Timmy!” She put her hands on her hips, beaming with pride.

He lazily floated over to her. “Yeah, yeah,” Timmy sighed. “I got the rift pons and storybook pages while you were failing, by the way.”

HK stuck her tongue out at him before diving into the metal capsule, their ticket out of this weird, gloomy forest. Just as Timmy was about to follow her, a flash of red caught the corner of his eye. Whirling around, Timmy readied a magical lilac energy blast, ready to fight someone if needed. Oddly enough, no one was there.

Timmy shook his head. Maybe he was just seeing things? After all, he was running off of nothing but energy drinks and three hours of sleep.

HK might have had a point in saying that Timmy needed to take better care of himself.

Deciding not to stay here any longer, Timmy jumped into the capsule, being greeted with nothing but the metal platform he landed on and darkness all around him.

“Wow, this place is beautiful,” Timmy murmured sarcastically, crossing his arms. If he squinted hard enough, he could see a few colored lights surrounding him— yellow, green, blue, and pink. They flickered out for a few seconds, causing everything around Timmy to go dark, then came back on, significantly weaker than before. It was like the lights weren’t meant to exist here, and they were fighting to stay in this time rift, desperate to be a part of where they believed they belonged.

“There you are!”

Timmy turned around to see HK in the left corner of the platform, staring at the red time rift with confusion, and quite possibly excitement.

Wait, a red time rift?

“Hey, HK?” Timmy walked over to her. “Have you ever seen a red time rift before?”

The time rift glitched, much like the platforms in the previous area did. Its twitchy movement was almost reminiscent of a bug in a video game that would hopefully be patched up soon.

HK shook her head. “No, never. I’ve seen blue and purple, but never red.”

“Maybe its red color is just supposed to signify that this time rift is more difficult than the other ones?” Timmy theorized, putting a hand to his chin. “It could be why it’s so glitchy in here.”

HK shrugged, adjusting her signature purple top hat on her head. “That’s a likely possibility.”

“Or, maybe it’s just because you found this time rift in a dumpster.”

“That’s a… less likely possibility.”

The teens stood in silence for a moment before realizing that in order to get out of this anomalous atmosphere, they had to break the rift.

“Well”—HK took out her umbrella—“time to get out of here. Stand back, Timmy!”

Timmy put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from hitting the rift. “Let me break it!”

She looked at him weirdly. “You don’t have a weapon.”

“No, but I have my energy blasts!” For emphasis, he created a magical ball of energy in his hand, giving his friend a big grin.

“Timmy, I honestly don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t know if your magic will make the rift more unstable than it already is, and—”

He fired the energy blast, causing the time rift to go bouncing to the other side of the platform. “Too late!” He fired at it a few more times, causing it to shatter and produce a vibrant, vermillion-colored time piece. Similar to the rift that it came from, it twitched quickly, similar to a muscle spasm.

HK froze. “Is that time piece red?”

Timmy reached out to grab the time piece, his fingers gently curling around its wooden frame. “Have you ever seen one like it?”

She opened her mouth to respond, before pointing to it in horror. “Timmy, look!”

“Huh?” He glanced down, noticing that the time piece was glitching violently in and out of existence, almost like Timmy had angered it by picking it up. His hands fumbled around the object before he dropped it on the platform, sending shards of glass flying.

“What did you do!?”

“I-I don’t know! What’s gonna happen now!?”

Almost as if answering his question, a beam of red light shot up from the broken time piece and hit him in the chest, causing the boy to fall backwards onto the platform. The last thing that Timmy saw was his friend running towards him before his world turned black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things: I didn't use Hat Kid's original design (where she's wearing all yellow) for HK because I don't think that design was used by the creators for very long, and I know time rifts don't /technically/ exist in the game before its final release but shhhh let's just pretend like it does because if I have to fact-check one more detail I might actually lose it-


	2. Timmy the Trash Gremlin

Timmy loved those scenes in movies where the main character would wake up to the sweet smell of breakfast being prepared. In fact, whenever he woke up, he always imagined the mouth-watering aroma of pancakes being made and pretended to hear the faint sizzling of bacon nearby.

Regaining consciousness in a dumpster that carried the scent of expired milk was the closest thing he was ever going to get to that fantasy.

“Ugh, that was a rough landing,” he groaned, clutching his head. “You doing alright, HK?”

No response.

“HK? You here?” He poked his head out of the dumpster, immediately being overwhelmed by a bunch of colorful neon lights. Timmy rubbed his eyes, his vision slowly adjusting to its intensity.

When his eyes finally stopped feeling like they were on fire, Timmy realized that he was in the alleyway of some sort of… metro? The area he was in was populated entirely by black, anthropomorphic cats of all shapes and sizes. They were milling about on their phones, gossiping away with their friends, and every so often, a few of them would glance hesitantly at the jewelry store positioned right by the alleyway. Luckily, none of the cats had noticed Timmy yet.

“Where am I?” Timmy asked himself, beginning to worry about his friend’s absence. He was about to crawl out of the dumpster when he noticed something red and shimmery near his feet.

The time piece.

Carefully, Timmy picked it up, examining his contents. It was just like all of the others he and HK had collected in the past, except it was a different hue. As if sensitive to being touched, it began to twitch a little bit in his hands.

Oh yeah, it had a habit of doing that too.

“You’re a funky little time piece, aren’t you?” Timmy raised an eyebrow, making sure that he had a good grip on the hourglass so he wouldn’t drop it again. “I’m gonna name you Brad.”

Brad ceased his twitching, seemingly satisfied with his new name.

“Radical, he likes it!” Timmy shouted to no one in particular before hearing a pair of footsteps coming his way.

“I swear I saw that strange light around here…” A gentle voice murmured, their footsteps getting closer. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

He held his breath, clutching Brad closer to his chest. Even though he barely knew what it did, it was a time piece, which meant it was dangerous in the wrong hands. He had to keep Brad safe.

Although the logical solution would’ve been to stay quiet and hidden until this mysterious person left, Timmy was anything but logical. Stuffing Brad into his jacket pocket, he jumped out of the trash bin, his fists in a fighting stance. Instead of being thrown headfirst into a fast-paced battle, he was instead met with a confused girl.

She looked about a year younger than him, and was holding a baseball bat decorated with colorful stickers. Her nails were quite long, strangely reminding Timmy of sharp cat claws. Speaking of cats, there were quite a few cat faces on her clothing. She seemed like she belonged right here in the metro. In fact, the only “normal” thing about her was the that she wore an blue bow on the side of her head that loosely framed her spiral curls.

“Hi?” She awkwardly waved at him, causing him to drop his fists. “You doing okay?”

Timmy coughed, before putting on a calm and collected façade. “Oh yeah, I’m just, uh, hanging out.”

“…In the dumpster?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I do my best thinking here, you know?”

She gave him a weird look. “I’ve never heard of anyone doing their best thinking in a dumpster, of all places.”

“Well, obviously you’ve never heard of me.” Timmy gave the girl finger guns. “The name’s Timmy, and I’m new in town. I’m looking for a friend of mine, have you seen her?”

The girl didn’t answer. Instead, she pointed at the time piece that was in his pocket. “Your jacket is twitching.”

Timmy panicked. “Uh… it does that sometimes. That’s what I get for ordering it online at such a cheap price!”

Despite Timmy’s less-than-average attempt at whatever he was trying to accomplish, the girl was not buying it. Instead, she gripped her bat a bit tighter, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. “What’s in your pocket?”

“Nothing! Like I said, it just—”

“Look.” She took a small step towards him. “There’s a lot of dangerous people here in the metro, and I want to believe you’re not one of them. So, please tell me, what’s in your pocket?”

Timmy sighed, before pulling out Brad. “Fine. You want to see it so badly? Have a good look.”

The girl’s eyes widened, before regaining her composure. “Okay, look. I don’t think you know what those things can do. Especially one like”—she winced at the red light radiating from the time piece—“...that. So, could you please hand it over? I promise I won’t hurt you.”

He scoffed. “Fat chance! Why would I give Brad up to some random girl I just met!? How do I know you won’t use it for evil?”

“How do I know _you_ won’t use it for— wait a minute.” She lowered her bat slightly. “Did you name that time piece Brad?”

“Yes, I did!” Timmy puffed his chest out. “And if you want him, you’ll have to get through me.”

“Get through you? Fine.”

Timmy smirked, putting the time piece back in his pocket. This would be easy.

Levitating off the ground, he fired a few energy blasts onto the floor, sending a couple of shockwaves towards the girl. As if she had been training for a moment like this, she jumped over and avoided the shockwaves with practiced ease. Deciding to change tactics, Timmy fired some blasts directly towards her, which she managed to avoid as well.

Okay, maybe this wouldn’t be easy.

“Stand still!” he growled, aiming a blast at her.

“Not a chance!” she shot back, jumping onto a recycling bin. Using her weight, she pushed off of it and launched herself towards Timmy, managing to land a hit on him with her bat.

Timmy nearly flew into the dumpster from the impact. “Are you secretly a cat or something!?” He steadied himself, looking at her in shock.

She shrugged, although something along the level of discomfort was evident on her face. “Might as well be.” She looked down. “I guess.”

Timmy used her distracted state to his advantage. He fired a lilac beam towards her which she did not dodge in time. It hit her square in the shoulder, sending her staggering backwards.

“Ow!” she cried, rubbing her shoulder.

“Just give up! I’m not handing Brad over to you!” Timmy began to charge another energy beam in his hands, planning to make it even more powerful than the last.

She, however, did not seem fazed. Or at the very least, she wanted to appear that way. Taking a deep breath, she whispered to herself, “You can do this.” She raised her bat, a determined look forming on her face. “You have to do this! Don’t let Hattie down. You can’t let Hattie down! These time pieces are too important to her!”

Timmy faltered. “Hattie? As in, Hat Kid?”

“Yeah?”

He got rid of the lilac beam that was forming in his hands. “I know her. In fact, I’m looking for her! I was hoping she would know what to do with Brad.”

“Oh, really?” The bow-wearing girl lowered her bat. “You were gonna give the time piece to her? I was gonna do the same thing! That’s why I was fighting you!”

“Great minds think alike, huh?” He hovered back down to the ground and extended his hand out to her, hoping that this wasn't some sort of trick. “I’m Timmy, in case you forgot.”

She grinned at him and shook his hand. “I’m Bow. It’s very nice to meet you! Sorry for hitting you with my bat.”

“It’s chill. Sorry for hitting you with my radical laser beam.” Timmy took out Brad again, who was vibrating intensely.

Bow gently poked it with her finger. “Has it been doing that since you found it? I know Hattie’s ship detected one more time piece in the metro, but I didn’t know it looked like that.”

“Yeah, hopefully HK can figure out what’s wrong with it.”

“HK? That’s a cute nickname. I didn’t know she went by that,” she commented, squinting her eyes in thought. “Well, I guess I didn’t know because I didn’t know you! Shall we go to the spaceship?”

Timmy wasn’t sure if he trusted Bow yet. She seemed nice enough, but they were engaged in combat just a few moments prior. In Timmy's opinion, it was kind of awkward to have a friendly conversation with the person who was literally just trying to beat him up for some weird hourglass. What if this was a trick? She did snap out of her serious mode pretty quickly.

But, on the other hand, if this girl was telling the truth, he could find HK and figure out what to do with Brad. He didn’t really have much to lose in trusting her.

“Okay,” he smiled. “Let’s go.”

Bow nodded, and linked arms with him. She pulled out a time piece of her own (luckily, it wasn’t defective like Brad was) and tapped it. The two teens were then engulfed in a beam of light and sent towards the spaceship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timmy, looking at the metro: wait, it's all cats?  
> Bow, pointing her bat at him threateningly: always has been  
> Future me please delete that
> 
> (Edit 12/22/2020, from Future Parrot: No <3)


	3. Timmy Pecks Everything Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love how in the early versions of the game, all you essentially had to do was shine a light at the Snatcher and he'd get hurt. Some all-powerful demon, huh? Also, just as a disclaimer: I'm not really a part of the whole "which side of the main room does the burger plush go on" debate. Both of the playthroughs I watched had it on the right, but in my game, it's on the left, so I'm very neutral to the whole thing.

The ship was… different.

Aside from a few new things like furniture, there were apparently some added rooms that didn’t even exist in HK’s spaceship, as far as Timmy was concerned. Was he even in the right place?

“Before we go see Hattie, I’m gonna make sure that Snatcher isn’t anywhere nearby,” Bow said, glancing warily around the ship. “I know Hattie and I are on good terms with him, but I kinda… don’t trust him with that weird time piece. Stay here and keep it safe, okay?”

Although Timmy was confused as to why Bow was concerned about the Snatcher (he never really was that big of a threat, right?), he nodded. “Yep! I’ll be here. You can count on me!”

Bow shot him a small smile and took off towards the bedroom, leaving Timmy alone and bored. Deciding to explore the area, he quickly grew alarmed at how much had changed from when he last was in the spaceship.

For one, instead of there being a singular pillow in front of the TV, there was now a small, pink couch. There was also something that looked strangely like a gumball machine to the left side of the control panel. Sadly, Timmy didn’t have any tokens to insert, so he wasn’t legally allowed to get anything. But the worst offense of them all was the fact that the burger plush was on the left side of the main room. It was supposed to go on the right!

Having enough of this, Timmy walked into the machine room, completely forgetting that he needed to stay put. Making his way over to the ramp, he noticed a few pictures of HK plastered underneath the banister. Oddly enough, little doodles of Bow were added to each picture. It was cute, sure, but at the same time it was… kinda sad? It seemed like HK went on this fun, amazing adventure, and Bow was just there, in the background. The doodles reminded Timmy of footnotes at the bottom at the manuscript; they’re important, yes, but they were added as an afterthought.

Despite not knowing Bow for long, Timmy began to grow concerned. Surely, Bow didn’t view herself as some sort of afterthought, right?

Shaking his head, Timmy wandered over to the far left side of the room, being greeted with a drum set, a trumpet case perched upon a bookshelf, a grand piano, and a cello case leaning against the piano bench.

Okay, now this was getting suspicious. Even though Timmy hadn’t visited the spaceship in about a week, how and why did HK add so much stuff to it? What was the point?

Before Timmy could give up on thinking and leave, he noticed a small, cerulean spiral notebook seated on the piano’s sheet music stand. It had the words “My Songbook!” written on it, along with a smiling cat face drawn next to it in green marker. This belonged to Bow, without a doubt.

Timmy gently picked it up, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He would only take one quick look, one tiny peek— and then he’d put it back, like he never even saw it.

He had meant to skim through the songbook, but he found himself enraptured by its contents. Words like “sidekick”, “unimportant”, and “not enough” stuck out to him, due to the fact that they were used in just about every song he saw. The lyrics were beautiful, but…

Was Bow okay?

Just as Timmy was about to finish the verse he was on, the songbook was snatched out of his hands. Startled, Timmy whirled around, meeting eyes with Bow.

“What are you doing!?” She held the songbook close to her chest, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Timmy blinked, trying his hardest to process everything he had learned about Bow in such a short amount of time. “I, uh… got bored? I decided to explore, and I saw the songbook—”

“My songbook is private!” Bow snapped, putting the book in her jacket pocket. Her hands were trembling. “The only person who is allowed to see my terrible songs are me, and I kinda want to keep it that way!”

“Bow, I—” Timmy stopped himself, realizing what she just said. “Wait, terrible? Your songs aren’t terrible!”

“Whatever. Let’s just go see Hattie, okay?” Bow began to walk away, leaving him feeling extremely guilty.

Timmy had only ever apologized twice in his life: one was to HK when he accidentally made her drop her chicken nuggets after scaring her, and the other was earlier today, after his fight with Bow. He was going to apologize twice in one day. Timmy never did that!

“Hey,” Timmy spoke, halting Bow in her tracks. “I’m, uh, really sorry, Bow. I shouldn’t have invaded on your privacy like that.” The words felt foreign to his tongue, but he forced them out anyway. He felt terrible for making Bow angry, especially after she agreed to bring him back to the ship.

“It’s fine, I guess,” she sighed, before walking out of the room. Seeing no point in staying there, Timmy followed her into the kitchen.

As soon as they entered the room, Bow immediately put on a very convincing smile. If Timmy hadn’t made her upset before, he wouldn’t have even known that the smile was fake. “Hi, Hattie! I’m back! I also brought a friend of yours!”

A top hat-wearing girl who was looking at a painting of some sort of house turned around and met Timmy’s eyes. HK! She was here! Sure, the colors on her clothes seemed a bit… brighter, and she looked at Timmy like she didn’t know who the peck he was, but to Timmy’s knowledge, it was his friend.

“HK!” he exclaimed, wrapping the girl up in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here! What happened? Also, why does your ship look different?”

“Um?” The girl weaseled out of his grip. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

Timmy looked at her, taken aback. “What? HK, it’s me, Timmy! Don’t you remember?”

“Hattie?” Bow crept over to her, glancing at Timmy cautiously. “Do you not know him?”

HK(?) shook her head. “I’ve never seen this dude before in my life.”

“Oh, haha, very funny. Come on, HK, drop the act.” Timmy gave her a playful nudge, frowning when she winced at his touch.

“I’m serious! I don’t know you! Bow, where’d you find this guy?”

Bow hesitated. “A dumpster in the metro.”

The girl with the top hat sighed. “Yeah, that seems about right. Look, I’m sorry if we met once before and I don’t remember you or something, but you gotta believe me when I say that I don’t know who you are!”

Timmy was confused. Well, more so than usual. This didn’t seem like the type of prank that HK would pull on him, but it was the only possibility that made sense. Why else would his own best friend act like she didn’t know him?

Bow put a hand on her shoulder. “Well, regardless if you know him or not, we found something that you might want to see.”

Before she could presumably ask what Bow was talking about, the kitchen doors opened, revealing a certain mustached, hatless, hood-wearing, castle-dwelling, statue-posing, ticket-giving peck-neck.

Instead of reacting with shock or anger, Timmy’s supposed best friend practically lit up with joy. “Mu!” she grinned, running over to her. “You’re back!” She wrapped her in a tight hug, much to Timmy's confusion.

Stunned, Timmy looked at Bow, hoping she would be as shocked as he was. Instead, she gave the vigilante a friendly wave. “Welcome back! How’s Mafia Town been since you last checked on it?”

“Mu” shrugged. “Same as always, I guess. Oh! Actually, I checked up on the old man who used to get beat up by the mafia all the time, and turns out, it’s his birthday!”

“Really?” Bow gasped. “We should stop by and give him something! I think there might be some left over chocolate cake in the fridge.”

Mu nodded, then finally seemed to notice Timmy, who was looking at her like she had grown two heads and begun to speak Latin. “Who’s this guy?”

HK- no, this couldn’t possibly be HK, because she looked at Mu with too much fondness in her eyes for her to be his friend- shook her head. “Don’t worry about him. Hey, Bow? Do you think you could ask—”

“AM I GOING INSANE!?”

All eyes landed on Timmy, who was clearly panicking.

Mu gave him a concerned look. “Woah, you doing alright there, buddy? You look like you’ve seen a ghost! Look, just take some deep breaths—”

“Deep breaths!? I don’t need to breathe, I need answers! I swear, it’s like I’m in another timeline or something! What’s going on? Why does the ship look different!? Why are you acting like this, HK!? And most importantly”—he pointed to the mustached girl, who appeared to be more confused than he was—“why is Mustache Girl here!? I thought we told her to GET LOST!”

Instead of fighting back like Timmy expected her to do, she took a shaky step away from him, her breathing growing ragged. “G-get lost?” she repeated, fear overtaking her honey-colored eyes. “No…I-I’ve changed… I swear…”

“Oh, sure you have!” Timmy rolled his eyes. “Why are you really here? To take all the time pieces for yourself!? We all know that’s what you’re planning to do, so why don’t you go ahead and fess up, huh!?”

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Not-HK darted in front of Mu, her arms outstretched protectively. “Look, I don’t know who you are or what your deal is, but you do not get to just waltz in here and bring up Mu’s past like that!” She pointed at him accusingly, her face going red with anger. “I don’t know how you know what she’s done, but you obviously don’t know that she’s changed for the better! She’s an amazing person!”

Mu shook her head, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. “No, he’s right.”

“No, he’s not!” Bow wrapped her friend in a hug, shooting daggers at Timmy. “Everyone’s forgiven you, Mu. What’s done is done, but you have grown so much in the past couple of years. You’ve moved past that now.”

Being glared at by Bow shook Timmy to his core. She seemed so sweet and caring— he didn’t like that expression being directed at him. But why? He’s been glared at plenty of times before. Why didn’t he like it when Bow glared at him?

Timmy’s mind felt like mush. “I’m confused,” he muttered, turning back to the hatted girl. “Since when did you two like, let alone tolerate each other?”

“Since none of your business!” she shot back, balling her fists at her sides.

“Hey, guys?” Bow attempted, still holding a shaking Mu.

Timmy scoffed. “It is my business! I thought we were friends, HK!”

“HK!? I go by Hattie, thank you very much! What’s your deal, anyway?”

“Guys?” Bow tried again.

“My deal?” Timmy huffed. “What’s your deal!? I trust some random stranger”—he gestured towards Bow—“to take me to my closest friend to try and figure out what the peck is going on, and then she acts like she doesn’t even know me? What kind of move is that!?”

“GUYS!”

The arguing teens glanced at Bow, who was doing her best to comfort her friend. Mu was sobbing now, her tears dampening Bow’s cat jacket. She wasn’t bothered by this, however. Rather, it seemed like she thrived on taking care of someone, like being supportive was something she prided herself on.

“Yes, Bow?” HK— err, Hattie— hissed through clenched teeth, clearly irritated about not being able to finish the argument.

“Alright, first of all, your yelling is not helping Mu, so stop that.” She shot an icy stare at both of them, causing both Hattie and Timmy to recoil back in shame. “And second of all, arguing is going to get us nowhere. Yes, I’m angry too, but we obviously have not heard both sides of the story yet, so if we could all just calm down and explain our point of views, maybe we’d understand the situation better, okay?”

No response.

“Okay!?” Bow tried again, firmer this time.

“Okay,” Timmy and Hattie grumbled reluctantly.

“Good!” Bow chirped, back to her cheerful demeanor. “Now, Timmy, explain how you got here, please.”

In all honesty, Timmy didn’t want to. In the few minutes he’s been here, everything he thought he knew was turned upside down. He felt like he was in a weird fever dream. Plus, he (apparently) didn’t know any of these people. They could use the time piece he had for evil! Why should he explain his predicament?

But on the other hand, maybe explaining things to these girls could help him understand what had just happened to him. Plus, he did manage to offend every single person on this ship in the span of fifteen minutes, so maybe talking things out could act as a peace offering, of sorts? After all, what did he have to lose?

Before Timmy could think things through a little better, he took out Brad from his pocket. “I dropped this thing while I was in a time rift and I woke up in a dumpster.”

Hattie and Mu gasped, looking at the red time piece in shock. Slowly, Hattie stepped closer to him, eyeing Brad with curiosity.

“You were in a time rift?” she repeated, watching the time piece twitch.

Timmy nodded. “Yeah. I was with you, or at least I thought I was. I don’t know at this point, honestly.”

“Has there ever been a time piece that looked like that, Hattie?” Bow asked.

Hattie shook her head. “I’ve never seen one like it, but the way it’s glitching worries me.”

Mu, who was just beginning to calm down, spoke with a wavering voice. “Aren’t breaking time pieces supposed to rewind time? Maybe he came from the future or something.” Slowly, she broke away from Bow’s embrace.

Hattie gave a gentle, encouraging smile to her. “That could be true. Hey, Jimmy?”

He winced at the name. “Timmy, not Jimmy.”

She drew in a breath. “Fine. Timmy, what year was it when you got into the time rift?”

Timmy thought for a moment. “20XX,” he replied.

Hattie sighed. “Same here. So, that rules out that possibility.”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Timmy said, putting a hand to his chin. “Everything that I thought I knew has been turned upside down here. It’s like I’m in some sort of parallel dimension or…”

“Or another timeline,” Bow finished for him. “Hattie, can time pieces take you to another timeline? Is that possible?”

Hattie hesitated, seemingly considering the odds. “I mean… it’s not common, but I think it’s possible. I need to study the time piece, though.”

Timmy clutched Brad tighter to his chest. “How do I know I can trust you?”

“Well, I wasn’t the one who came in here and brought up Mu’s traumatic past,” she shot back, putting her hands on her hips. “Plus, if we’re right and you did come from another timeline, giving me the time piece is your best bet on going home.”

“True, but…” Timmy mumbled, looking down, “…I don’t know.”

“Timmy?” Bow walked up to him, her eyes conveying nothing but sincerity. “You can trust her. If she’s anything like the Hat Kid you know, I’m certain that she wouldn’t betray you. Hattie knows better than to do that.”

He sighed, knowing that this was a risk he had to take. Gently, he handed the red time piece to Hattie. “Be careful with Brad, okay?”

“You named the time piece Brad?”

“Yes.” He nodded. “Yes, I did.”

Hattie stared at him for a moment, then shook her head. “Okay, well, I’ll be in the lab if anyone needs me. Bow?”

“Yeah, Hattie?”

She scowled at Timmy. “Make sure Timmy knows the way out.”

And with that, Hattie left the kitchen. A few moments of silence passed before Mu began to make her way to the door as well.

“I’m, uh,” Mu cleared her throat, trying to gain some of her confidence back, “I’m going to the lab too. You know, so Hattie doesn’t hurt her brain doing some science-y stuff or whatever.”

“Okay,” Bow gave her a friendly nod. “If you need anything else, let me know!”

Mu nodded, and made her way to the lab, trying her best to avoid Timmy’s gaze.

Then there were two. Bow and Timmy stood around awkwardly for a few minutes before Timmy decided to say something.

“I’m sorry,” he sighed. “I didn’t mean to insult you or your friends. I really pecked everything up, huh?”

It was weird. This supposed alternate timeline he was stuck in was making him apologize more than he ever did in his life. He never really was the type to own up to his actions. Was he going soft? Was he actually becoming… responsible?

Bow gave him a small smile. “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

“I guess.” Timmy rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Hattie’s right. I should go.”

“To where, though?”

Timmy stopped. She was right, where _would_ he go? His only ticket of getting back home was here, in the ship, and he wasn’t even welcome at the moment. He mentally made a list of all the places he knew of, and stopped when he got to the second location.

What? Just because he made a list didn’t mean it had to be a long one.

“Hey, Bow?” He queried, raising an eyebrow. “Does the Subcon Forest exist in this timeline?”

“Yeah, it’s—” She stopped herself, her eyes widening. “Wait, you’re going there?”

Without bothering to answer her, Timmy burst out of the kitchen and into the main area, Bow following not too far behind him.

“Where’s the opening hatch to this ship?” he muttered to himself, running up to the control panel.

Bow caught up to him. “The Subcon Forest? Why that, of all places?”

“I have a friend there!” Timmy responded, looking confusedly at all of the buttons. There had to be a button that opened the hatch somewhere, right? “Anyway, once I get out of here, I’ll just convince that friend to let me live there, and you guys can come get me once you figure out a way to get me home!”

He noticed that Bow looked off to the side, seemingly debating something. Timmy wanted to ask what was going on in that brain of hers; she was an interesting case, that was for sure. He wanted to get to know her a little better, since all he knew about her were the lyrics that she had written in her songbook. At the same time, he was hesitant. Timmy had hit her with his radical laser beam, invaded on her privacy, and offended both of her friends. Why would she trust him enough to open up to him?

Finally, it seemed that she made up her mind. Bow walked over to the control panel and pressed a couple buttons, moving the ship closer to where the forest was on the planet below them. She then pointed to a glass door on the window, revealing it to be the exit to the spaceship.

“Oh, right,” Timmy chuckled nervously. “Guess I didn’t see that. I’ll go ahead and leave. Thanks for trying to help, Bow.”

Just as he made his way over to the small door, Bow stepped in front of him, much to his confusion.

“Bow?”

“I’m coming with you,” she said.

He stared at her in disbelief. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I do! How are you supposed to go down there”—she pointed at the planet below them—“without an umbrella?” For emphasis, she took out a pink umbrella that was decorated with yellow moons.

“Well,” Timmy started, “I guess you have a point. Are you sure you want to come, though? I feel like I’ve caused enough trouble for you already.”

“And leave you alone in the Subcon Forest? No way!” Bow opened the door, looking fondly at the thousands of stars surrounding them. “I was the one who brought you to the ship, anyway. The least I can do is make sure you have a good place to stay.”

Timmy thought for a moment, then shrugged. “If you’re sure.”

Bow beamed at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him close to her. “To Subcon Forest we go!”

When departing HK’s ship, HK would always land the ship on the planet, so it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle for him to leave.

Or at least, that’s the excuse he gave Bow when he screamed the entire way down after they jumped out of the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that chapters 2 and 3 both end with Bow yeeting Timmy to another location. Actually, speaking of Bow, she's that one friend who is always there to help you with your problems, but when you try and get her to admit what's been bothering her, she suddenly has to "go feed her phone" and "charge her cat" or whatever. You don't own a cat, Bow! We're onto you! Anyway if you've read this far please mail me some chicken nuggets my address is 42069 Radical Lane-


	4. Unwanted Emphasis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys welcome back to literally why do I ship these two- You know, I've been hinting at Bow's thought process for a while, so why not hear it straight from the horse's mouth? That's right, dear readers! Today we're passing the torch and going into her perspective for a bit! I'm sure Bow would totally love the unwanted emphasis placed on her private thoughts and fears. The fanfic /is/ called Co-op, so let's make true of that title and hippity-hop into our favorite co-op player's head.

Bow liked to think she was a nice person. She believed that there was good in everyone deep down inside, and with just a little bit of love and understanding, the world could be a better place. The belief was naïve, sure, but it gave her comfort, especially when walking through a place that was dark and terrifying. How could she be so averse to a forest that was supposedly once so vibrant and beautiful? How could she be scared of a place that fell into despair, leaving its residents as only a shell of their former selves, doomed to wander what was once their home for all of eternity? How could—

Oh, who was she kidding?

Bow hated the Subcon Forest.

She never understood why Hattie was so fond of it. Sure, Snatcher had warmed up to the two of them, but the forest was still a creepy and dangerous place that she promised herself to stay far away from.

Considering she was walking through the Subcon Village with the boy she had found in the dumpster this morning, she wasn’t doing so great on that promise.

“Woah,” Timmy breathed, gazing at the large river at the heart of the village. “This place is a little different than what I’m used to.”

Bow let out a polite laugh. “Creepy, isn’t it?”

“No, actually.” He turned to her, a wide smile on his face. “It’s… pretty.”

“Pretty?” Bow gave him a weird look. “Well, that’s one way to describe it.”

It took all of her willpower not to turn to a nearby dweller and blink out the words “HELP ME” in Morse code. The only thing stopping her was the fact that she couldn’t live with herself if Timmy got hurt.

Well, that, and the fact that she didn’t know Morse code.

As Timmy wandered around the village, Bow leant against a purple mushroom, ignoring the cold air radiating from the gigantic block of ice behind her. She made sure he was in her line of sight at all times, smiling when Timmy began to interact with a dweller that had a red tail and white mask. He seemingly asked it a question, to which the dweller responded by doing a few somersaults in midair. Timmy, not one to be outmatched, began to levitate, and do some mid-air flips as well, and soon, they were in some sort of friendly competition with each other.

Timmy definitely seemed to be in his element.

Bow knew how hard it was to be alone in an unfamiliar environment and have no one to turn to. His emotional well-being all depended on finding his friend (who would hopefully take him in), and if helping Timmy find them meant that he would be okay, then she would brave the forest for him.

Yeah, he pushed one of Mu’s more sensitive buttons and angered Hattie in the process, but it was out of ignorance, not spite. She was still a little mad about him looking at her songbook, but she supposed that was what she got for not hiding it after her songwriting session.

“Bad news.” Timmy ran up to Bow, bringing her out of her thoughts. “None of the dwellers know where my friend is.”

Bow looked at him with interest. “You could understand them? I thought they couldn’t talk!”

“Well, apparently in this timeline, they can’t, but if you’ve been around dwellers long enough, you can tell when they…” he trailed off, staring at something behind Bow in horror.

Immediately, she jumped off of the mushroom and whirled around, ready to see something that would surely scar her for the rest of her life. Instead, there was nothing but the gigantic ice block and the few stalagmites that surrounded it. Confused, she turned back to Timmy, thinking she had missed what he was gaping at, but he was still squirming with discomfort. He seemed to be reliving something in his head. Something unpleasant.

“Hey,” she said gently, trying not to startle him. “It’s okay, I’m right here. Whatever you’re seeing in your head is not happening right now. I’m right here with you, okay?”

Timmy took a deep breath, then finally tore his eyes away from the ice, choosing to meet Bow’s instead.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded rapidly. “Yeah! I just thought I saw one of those plants that try to bite you and stuff.”

Bow glanced between the block of ice and Timmy, choosing not to press him on what just happened. “I think those only exist in your timeline.”

“That’s good to hear!” He adjusted his jacket, then held his arm out to her. “Let’s get going. We can’t find my friend if we’re standing here staring at a block of ice.”

Bow linked her arm with his, her concern for him rapidly growing. She wanted to ask him what was wrong and help him, but chose to respect his privacy. Being vulnerable in front of someone wasn’t easy, especially since they had only met a few hours prior.

As they trekked on in silence, Bow couldn’t help but think that they were lost. She could’ve sworn that they had passed the village again twice and were just walking in circles. She wanted to believe that Timmy knew where he was going, but—

Wait.

How could Timmy know where he was going if he was from a different timeline?

Mentally face-palming herself, she glanced at Timmy, who had an uncharacteristically serious expression painted on his face.

“Timmy? Who are we looking for? Maybe I can help you find him, since, you know,” she chuckled awkwardly, “this is my timeline and all.”

“Oh, yeah! I’m looking for the Moonjumper.”

Bow stopped, causing Timmy to halt in his tracks as well. “The who-now?”

He looked at her in disbelief. “You know, the Moonjumper? MJ? Moon Boy? Looney Moony?”

She gave him a blank stare.

“The former prince of Subcon?” Timmy tried again. “Queen Vanessa’s ex-lover? Lives and breathes for the horizon?”

Bow pondered on his words for a moment, the gears turning in her head. “Timmy,” she said, realization hitting her, “I don’t think the Moonjumper exists in this timeline.”

"Huh?" Timmy unlinked their arms, shaking his head. “No, you’re wrong. You have to be!”

“Timmy—”

“If MJ isn’t here, who was the prince of Subcon, then!?”

She hesitated, hoping that her answer wouldn’t make him more distressed than he already clearly was. “Uh… the Snatcher.”

“WHAT!?” He ran a hand through his hair. “That shadowy thief? How could he be a former prince!?”

Bow delicately reached out a hand towards him, putting it on his shoulder. “I don’t know. Look, I know things are… different here, but different doesn’t always mean bad, right?”

“No,” he shook his head again. “No, you have to be wrong. Maybe you just missed him or something? MJ’s always in the horizon, so maybe we just haven’t found it yet! That has to be it!”

“Timmy,” she said softly, not wanting to hurt him, “I don’t think the Moonjumper exists in this timeline. Hattie and I have both seen proof of the Snatcher being the prince, and-”

Timmy moved away from her, his eyes wide. “No, no, no!” His hands began to shake, and a small ball of energy formed in his hands, seemingly unbeknownst to him. “I can accept the fact that my closest friend doesn’t know who I am and probably hates me now, but I’m just supposed to be fine with the fact that my other friend doesn’t _exist_!?”

“No, I didn’t say you had to be—”

“You said you saw proof, right? Maybe you haven’t seen all of it!” With that, Timmy got rid of his magic and took off running, much to Bow’s surprise.

Bow momentarily froze in shock before chasing after him. “Hey! Wait, where are you going!?”

“I’m going to face my fears!”

“That’s not a location!”

As she followed him deeper into the forest, Bow noticed that the temperature around them began to drop. Timmy knew where he was going this time, and Bow wasn’t sure if she should be happy for him or scared for herself.

Warning bells sounded in her head when Timmy crossed a familiar-looking bridge guarded by two statues. A certain manor surrounded by fog loomed in the distance, its intimidating presence creating an atmosphere of trepidation.

At that exact moment, she figured out the correct answer: she should be scared for herself.

“Timmy!” Bow called, trying to catch up to him. “Don’t go in there! It’s dangerous!”

“You don’t think I know that!?” he responded, quickening his pace. He was on the other side of the bridge at this point, shuddering when a few snowflakes landed on his head.

Knowing he was going to be stubborn, Bow dived towards him, tackling him the on the ground before he could get any closer to the manor.

Timmy landed headfirst into the snow, much to his irritation. “Ow,” he mumbled. “What’s your problem?”

“My problem?” Bow made no move to get off of his back. “What’s yours? You’re the one running headfirst into danger and possible death! If you knew how scary Queen Vanessa is, why try and go into her manor in the first place!?”

Timmy didn’t respond. Terrified that he couldn’t breathe with a face full of snow, Bow quickly got off of him. Slowly, he rolled onto his back and sat up, avoiding her eyes.

“Timmy,” she tried again, quieter this time, “are you okay?”

“I’ve been in the manor before,” was all he said in reply.

Sensing he was hiding something, Bow sat down beside him, the coldness of the snow sending a shiver up her spine. “I’m sorry that your friend doesn’t exist here. Really, I am! But—”

“I know, I know,” he sighed. “It’s dangerous. It’s scary. If I go in there, I’ll get turned into an ice statue. Been there, done that.”

“What?”

Timmy didn’t answer, leading to an awkward silence between the two teens. With his index finger, he absentmindedly traced a spiral symbol in the snow, nearly identical to the mark on his forehead. Bow fiddled with a curl on the side of her head, her instincts screaming at her to say something, anything, but no words formed in her mind.

 _Come on, Bow,_ her brain sneered. _Stop being quiet and help him! If all you’re good for is supporting people and being their “sidekick”, at least act like it! Don’t be useless. Stop being useless! Do something!_

Eventually, Timmy stood up, causing Bow to leap to her feet and attempt to block the path to the manor.

He rolled his eyes and held his hand out to her. “I changed my mind. I’m not going in there. Come on, let’s head back to the village.”

Skeptically, she took his hand (she hadn’t held hands with anyone in years, it felt quite nice), and after Bow took the lead, they made their way back to the village. It was quite weird; he appeared to be a very affectionate person, which she didn’t mind, of course, but it was a stark contrast to whatever “edgy skater boy” persona he was seemingly trying to portray. Something was going on with Timmy, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

If he was alright with it, of course.

“You think anyone’s in these houses?” Timmy said, looking at a tall tree stump that had a round, wooden door in its center. “I think I might just stay here and vibe with the dwellers.” As soon as he said that, he noticed a chunk of ice on the top of the stump and tensed up.

Bow glanced at their still intertwined hands. “Hey, Timmy? I’m sorry if this brings back any painful memories, but what did you mean when you said that Queen Vanessa turned you into an ice statue? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

After calming down a little, he gave her a half-hearted shrug. “Might as well answer your question, seeing as I’ve caused, like, a million problems for you.”

She opened her mouth to speak but was silenced when Timmy raised his free hand to stop her.

“I don’t remember much of my past. At least, not before I somehow ended up in the manor. I don’t even know how or why I was in there in the first place! All I remember is being freed from the ice and coming face-to-face with HK.” Sensing her confusion on how HK freed him, he added, “She used her electricity badge, apparently.”

Assuming that the electricity badge was a thing that only existed in his timeline (could electricity even shatter ice?), Bow decided not to ask. Instead, she squeezed his hand, causing them to meet eyes once again. “Thank you for telling me this. I know it must have been hard,” she whispered.

“Yeah. It’s just, whenever I see ice, I just get reminded of how much of my life I wasted while being stuck in the manor. I guess it wasn’t the smartest decision to run back to the place I was practically held hostage in, huh?” He let out a nervous laugh. “I just wanted to see if there was anything about MJ… or anything about my past.”

“Your past? Why?”

Giving her a weak smile, he mumbled, “I guess I forgot that I don’t belong here.”

Bow thought for a moment. These two barely knew one another, yet he trusted her enough to be vulnerable around her, an act that Bow couldn’t even do with those closest to her. Despite any inner turmoil she acquired when her friends were in need, she enjoyed being the one to lift people up, but she was terrified of slipping up and saying the wrong thing. She couldn’t hurt him; not when he was in this state.

“You do belong here, or at least, for right now,” she finally said, stepping closer to him. “I don’t know if you believe in things such as fate or destiny, but I do. Maybe it’s naïve to say that you were destined to end up in this timeline and be talking to me right now, but I don’t think that it was an accident.”

Timmy raised an eyebrow. “It was though. I dropped Brad.”

“Think of this as a video game,” Bow continued. “Yeah, you may not have a lot of control over what the overarching plot is or what anyone else does, but guess what? You get to choose the things your character does, which can affect the story that’s told about you.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that even though you don’t exist here, I believe that you were meant to come here. This could help you gain a new perspective on life, or something!” Bow was beaming now, a newfound determination written all over her face. “You don’t have to have all of the answers to your past, Timmy. What matters is what you do now and where you go from here.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Timmy said, seemingly considering her words. “You’re, uh, pretty radical for listening to my ranting. I didn’t want to bother HK with it because she has a lot on her mind already.”

Bow nodded. “No problem, Timmy. I totally understand what you mean, though. Hattie’s been through a lot, and I don’t want to burden her with my feelings.”

It was quiet between them for a moment. Bow took this time to really look at the village, noticing how peaceful it was. A dweller with a green tail and a fox mask floated by and lowered itself into the river. The rest of the dwellers were calmly hovering about, a few glancing at those big cherry bombs that they liked to jump into. Some fireflies excitedly flew around the tree stumps, almost as if they were putting on a performance for anyone who was watching.

Timmy was right. The village was pretty. Still creepy, but pretty.

“About your video game metaphor,” Timmy spoke, breaking the silence. “It makes sense, but sometimes, I don’t feel like the main character, even in my own life. Is that weird?” He looked at her. “Am I weird?”

“For thinking that? No!” She took another step closer to him. “Are you saying you feel like an NPC or something?”

“No, I feel like… I don’t know, what are those characters called? The ones that you play as when you’re playing with a friend?”

Bow blinked. “A co-op character?”

“Yeah! Those guys!” He began to fiddle with his skull necklace, something that Bow didn’t realize he had on until now. “I don’t know. HK was the one who went on this big journey to go get her time pieces back, and I just kinda… tagged along.”

Bow thought back to her experience with Hattie. She didn’t meet her until they were both on the cruise, and even then, she still didn’t know about Hattie joining the yakuza afterwards! It sometimes felt like she wasn’t good enough to accompany Hattie on her adventures.

Is that why she drew herself on Hattie’s photos? To feel like she was included in something?

“I get what you mean,” she finally said.

Timmy chuckled. “Guess we had a bit more in common than we thought we did, huh? We’re just a couple of co-op players without the main character to start the game for us.”

“That was… surprisingly deep, Timmy.”

“I’m full of surprises, Bow.”

Bow playfully nudged him with her elbow. “You’re wrong on one thing, though. We gotta start our own game this time.”

“Start our own game?”

“Yup! After all”—she squeezed his hand once more—“co-op players stick together!”

For a moment, he gazed at her, seemingly unsure of what to do or say. Then finally, a big grin spread across his face. “Yeah, even if we’re from different timelines.”

“That’s the spirit!” Bow took out her time piece, frowning when Timmy let go of her hand and stepped away from her.

“I’ll let you head back,” Timmy sighed, kicking a pebble by his foot. “I don’t want your friends to worry about you. I’ll be fine here.”

“All alone?”

He pointed at the dwellers. “Nah, I have my new neighbors! Besides, I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

_I don’t want to be a burden to you._

It was a simple sentence, but it was one that Bow had thought and said many times before. Hearing it come out of someone else’s mouth was… kinda weird. She understood how Timmy was feeling, and she didn’t like seeing that pained look in his eyes. It reminded her too much of herself.

At that moment, Bow made a decision. “No. You’re coming back to the spaceship with me.”

Timmy’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “What?”

“When I said co-op players stick together, I meant it,” she said firmly. “I’m not gonna leave you here, Timmy. The forest is dangerous, and I’d feel better if you were on the spaceship.”

For what felt like ages, Timmy stared at her, harboring an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes began to dart between Bow and the dwellers, before eventually landing on Bow once more.

He sighed. “I will never understand why you’re doing so much for me.”

“It’s the right thing to do,” Bow said. “Putting others in front of yourself, that is.”

Timmy then muttered something to himself. Bow didn’t really catch what his comment was, but it sounded something like, “Yeah, but when will you put yourself first?”

The answer?

Bow didn’t know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's kinda weird that the chapter where Timmy shares his backstory is told from Bow's perspective, but I like to think that it reflects that he's an "outsider" and doesn't really, in essence, belong in this timeline. Also, one of the reasons as to why this fanfic is called Co-op (besides that little bit of dialogue), is because before Bow was the co-op character, Timmy was originally gonna be player two. That fact is kinda well-known, but if you didn't know it or forgot, there you go. It was kinda hard for me to post this chapter because I didn't believe that it was good enough, but maybe I'm just empathizing with Bow's internal struggles. Who knows? On another note, I think writing Timmy's character made me obsessed with chicken nuggets. I'm not okay with this.


	5. We Just Gotta Get Along Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like writing how differently Bow and Timmy perceive things. It's reflected in the chapter titles as well! Bow's chapter titles are song lyrics while Timmy's chapter titles are just... well... Timmy. Not much to say about that. I'm also contractually obligated to have Timmy say "radical" at least once per chapter, so bear with me as this boy uses outdated slang.

By the time Bow and Timmy beamed up to the spaceship, the clock officially hit midnight in Mafia Town, meaning a new day had begun. They had spent a little longer in the village than intended, due to Bow making it her priority to debrief Timmy on what was different about this timeline. However, she had the nagging feeling that there was a crucial piece of information that she forgot to give.

Let’s see, she told him many times that Thor, the local mechanic in Timmy’s version of Mafia Town, did not exist, she explained a little bit about the cruise, the metro, and the skyline—

“Bow?” Timmy’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “You okay? You’re kinda just… staring off into space.”

She let out an awkward laugh. “Oh, I’m fine! I just feel like I forgot to tell you something about this timeline.”

He shrugged. “If you forgot, then it’s probably not important.”

“Yeah, but I kinda feel like it is.”

“I guess we’ll just cross that bridge when we come to it, then.” He put his hands in his pockets, looking around the spaceship. “Now, where’s the lab?”

Bow lead him to the lab’s door, mentally facepalming herself when Timmy walked into the purple, shimmery wall that blocked their way to the room.

“Was this the thing you forgot to tell me?” Timmy asked, rubbing his nose.

Bow shook her head. “No, but here, have this!” Reaching into her jacket pocket, she pulled out her least favorite dweller mask: a broken, white mask with two big antlers that were curving inwards at the top. It had accents of red paint on it (or was it blood? Bow wasn’t sure) and it always gave her the creeps whenever she laid eyes on it.

Timmy took the mask, horrified at its features. “Is this a gift or some sort of death threat? Also, how big are your jacket pockets?”

She giggled, taking out an orange beret with big, round glasses. “It’s a dweller mask! You have dweller masks in your timeline, right?”

“Oh, yeah!” Timmy put on the mask and turned to Bow, striking a dramatic pose. “How do I look?”

“Absolutely horrifying! Please never look me in the eyes with that mask on again!” Bow responded, causing the two of them to laugh.

Timmy poked the glasses she was holding. “Oh yeah? Well, I bet you’re gonna look like a nerd wearing that.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Jokes on you, nerds are cool now.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah? In what world?”

“This one!” Bow took off her bow, put on the beret and glasses—

“Nerd.”

—And tapped the side of the glasses, causing the purple shimmery wall to disappear for her. She prompted Timmy to do the same with his mask, and they made their way through the tunnel leading to the lab.

Before they got close enough to the door for it to automatically open, Timmy turned to Bow. “Can I take it off now? It’s kinda hard to breathe with this thing on.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Bow shrugged. “I can’t really see in these glasses, anyway.”

As Bow put the dweller masks back in her pocket, the nagging feeling came back. Just what was she forgetting to tell him? She had covered a lot of the important topics in her quick little debriefing section. Sure, she hadn’t explained _everything_ , but there was no need for every menial detail to be brought up. What important thing had slipped Bow’s mind?

When she entered the laboratory, her eyes scanned the room for Hattie and Mu. She found them standing by the long, wooden table on the left side of the room, with the time piece- or Brad, as Timmy liked to call it- sitting on the table in front of them. Their faces were very close together, almost as if they were whispering secrets to one another. Why would they be doing that? As far as they were aware, they were the only two people in the spaceship, so why did they feel the need—

Oh.

They weren’t whispering.

They were kissing.

Bow finally remembered what important thing she had to tell Timmy: Hattie and Mu were dating. She turned to him, resisting the urge to burst out laughing at his shocked expression. His eyes were wide, and his jaw was practically hitting the floor; it was quite a comical sight.

As funny as his surprise was, Bow needed to get him out of the room and explain before Timmy did anything stu—

“THAT’S NOT RESEARCH!”

Bow facepalmed.

Irritated, Hattie separated from her girlfriend. “We were taking a brain break.” She met eyes with Bow, who gave her an awkward smile. “Bow, I thought you were taking him to stay somewhere else.”

Bow sighed, knowing that she had to advocate for Timmy. “Yeah, I was, but wouldn’t it make more sense for Timmy to stay here?”

Hattie glanced at Mu, who was fidgeting under Timmy’s stare. Angrily, she turned back to Bow. “No!” The hatted girl cried, crossing her arms. “Bow, I don’t trust him! Not after he insulted my girlfriend!”

“Yeah, about that.”

All eyes landed on Timmy, who was rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Look, I know I came in here and kinda insulted every single person on the ship in the span of fifteen minutes—”

Hattie scoffed. “Kinda?”

“—But in my defense, I still thought I was in my timeline. The Mustache Girl where I came from never redeemed herself, but this one clearly has!” As he spoke, he slowly walked over to Mu, keeping a respectful distance from her so he wouldn’t cross any boundaries. “It was an unradical thing to do, and I’m really sorry for bringing up something that made you uncomfortable.”

Bow was very proud of Timmy. He didn’t really seem like the remorseful type, but this entire experience seemed to be changing him for the better. Sure, he was only here for one day, but Bow was excited to watch him grow. Maybe he could learn from them.

Maybe she could learn from him.

He did carry an aura of natural confidence, no matter how irritating it could be to people. Confidence was something that didn’t come easily to Bow. She always had to fake it, and spent most of her time desperately trying to conceal the flaws that she believed consumed her being. She couldn’t burden anyone with her problems. Not even Hattie, her best friend.

Her problems weren’t as bad as everyone else’s, anyway. She could deal with them herself.

…Right?

Bow was brought out of her whirlwind of thoughts when Mu stepped closer to Timmy and held out her hand for a handshake.

“I forgive you,” she smiled.

Timmy’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You do!?”

Mu nodded. “Yeah! I mean, if I, a former ruthless dictator bent on serving justice to everyone, can be forgiven, then why can’t you? I made a vow to myself to try and do the right thing and actually act like a hero. I believe that forgiving you is the right thing to do. Besides”—she cleared her throat as a blush began to coat her face—“I wouldn’t be in here today without second chances.”

He grinned, shaking her hand enthusiastically. “Thank you so much!”

“Anytime. It’s what real heroes do.” Mu turned to Hattie, who was seemingly having an internal debate with herself. “Hattie?”

Hattie glanced at Timmy, then Bow, then finally, Mu. She let out a deep, deep sigh as she uncrossed her arms. “Mu’s got a point.”

“So, you forgive me?” Timmy’s eyes were wide.

“Yeah, why not? I’ve forgiven people who tried to kill me, so why not give you the benefit of the doubt?” Hattie gave him a cautious smile. She still seemed a bit wary of him, but it was a start.

Bow shot a thumbs up towards Timmy, which he happily returned. “What have you figured out about the time piece so far, Hattie?” She caught her friend’s eye, grinning when she lit up in joy over being able to explain something related to the space-time continuum.

“Well,” Hattie started, picking the time piece up, “by analyzing the frequency of this thing, I found out that besides the normal time piece magic, there are two main sources of energy coming from it. The reason why the time piece is glitching out is because its holding onto magic that it shouldn’t be! One of its energy sources must have come from someone who can travel through different timelines, thus giving it the power to bring Timmy here!”

Everyone stared at her blankly.

“Oh, I understand,” Timmy nodded, putting a hand to his chin.

Bow sighed. “No, you don’t.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I have no clue what the peck she just said.”

Mu playfully rolled her eyes. “Sometimes, I forget you graduated from a very prestigious academy on the other side of the galaxy. Guess that top hat of yours is hiding a pretty big brain, eh?” She poked Hattie’s cheek, causing her to giggle.

“I did, and I don’t miss it! I belong here now,” she smiled, shooting a fond look towards Mu.

Seeing Hattie and Mu happy with each other filled Bow up with so much elation. They both deserved someone who loved them, and helping them confess their feelings to each other was a major highlight of Bow’s life. She always wished that someone would love her like that one day.

Bow wrapped her arms around herself, trying to simulate some sort of comfort. Oh well. If they were happy, she was happy.

Hattie adjusted her top hat and cleared her throat, bringing Bow back to the present. “Anyway, Timmy, do you have some sort of magic?”

“Yup!” For emphasis, he created a lilac ball of magical energy in his left hand. “Pretty cool, huh?”

“Just as I thought.” Hattie wandered over to him, inspecting the energy ball. “Did you hit the time piece with your magic?”

Timmy pondered for a second, before his eyes widened in realization. “No, but I made the time rift break with my magic! Is that why it sent me here and not HK?”

“Probably! The magic inside the time piece must have bonded to yours somehow.”

Timmy held his hands out, seemingly wanting Hattie to put the time piece in his arms. She hesitated for a moment but obliged, making sure its twitching wouldn’t cause her to drop it.

As soon as Brad was in his arms, he gazed at it fondly and began to cradle it like a baby. “There he is,” he whispered. “My son.”

Brad seized his twitching, seemingly happy to be reunited with him.

Mu looked at him weirdly. “Your son?”

“Yeah,” Timmy said, as if there was nothing weird about his previous statement. “I mean, if we bonded, that means he’s my son, right? I’m pretty sure that’s how it works!”

Hattie stared at him, appalled. “What? No! That’s not—”

Bow put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t bother. If this is how he gets it, this is how he gets it.”

“Okay, fine,” Hattie exhaled. “What was the time rift like, Timmy?”

“Uh,” he glanced up in the ceiling in thought, gently bouncing Brad. “Very glitchy. Like, the platforms were glitchy, the area was glitchy… it was basically like a very buggy video game. Did that help?”

Hattie shook her head. “That just raises more questions.”

“Maybe breaking the time piece again will cause another rift that Timmy can go through?” Mu suggested.

“No, it’s too risky. Unless if we find out who else corrupted the time piece—”

“Hey! My son is not corrupted!”

“—we shouldn’t risk breaking it.” Hattie picked up a few pieces of paper that were scattered on the table, and looked at her notes that she took with interest. “For all we know, creating a new rift could send Timmy to another timeline, and he essentially has to start from scratch all over again. He might accidentally lose or give the time piece to someone untrustworthy, and that someone could create a hole in the space-time continuum. Besides, I’m not sure if anyone else wants to deal with… that.”

She pointed to Timmy, who was rocking Brad back and forth and humming a lullaby. He kissed the top of Brad’s… head(?), much to the girls’ confusion.

“To be completely honest, I don’t know how to feel about that,” Mu shuddered.

Bow thought back to when Hattie first explained the concept of time rifts to her. Certain time rifts were caused when a time piece hit someone in the head, right? The rift itself was created by the person’s thoughts, dreams, and memories…

She gasped. The storybook pages!

“Timmy!” Bow exclaimed suddenly, startling the poor boy who just wanted to spend some quality time with his son. “Did you get any storybook pages?”

“Oh yeah, I did!” Timmy reached into his pocket, pulled out a few pictures, and handed it to Bow.

Hattie nudged her, a smirk on her face. “Nice thinking! Maybe this will help us figure out who else’s magic made the time piece all weird.”

Bow beamed. Maybe she wasn’t so useless after all.

Everyone gathered around her, excited to see whose story would be told in these magical, somehow all-knowing pictures. However, there was a slight problem.

The pictures were all black.

“Huh,” Timmy said after a few seconds of silence. “I wonder what that means.”

“It means we’re back to square one!” Hattie buried her head in her hands. “I spent literal hours crunching numbers and solving formulas to try and figure out why this time piece is so weird, and where did that get us? Nowhere! I did _not_ almost fail math for this. Do you know how hard my math is compared to Earth math? It was all over for me when they tried to teach us how to multiply by fleventeen!”

Mu gave her a concerned glance. “What’s fleventeen?”

“Exactly!”

“Maybe we can get the pictures to come back?” Timmy tried, sporting an awkward grin. “I mean, maybe they just haven’t developed yet? We could try shaking it, or licking it-”

“Shaking it or licking it?” Hattie glanced at him, wide-eyed. “Why the peck do you think that would work!?”

Bow sighed. There they go again. “Guys, please. Don’t start fighting again. This isn’t helping!”

Hattie took a deep breath in, then a deep breath out. “You’re right, you’re right. My bad, Timmy.”

Timmy shrugged. “It’s chill. I know that a newborn baby in the household can increase stress among family members.”

A newborn baby? Was Timmy… talking about Brad? Did Timmy just refer to a potentially dangerous time piece as a newborn baby?

Despite herself, Bow began to giggle. Everyone looked at her in slight concern.

“Uh, Bow? You doing alright?” Hattie asked.

She didn’t answer. The giggles turned into chuckles, and the chuckles turned into full-on laughter.

“We finally did it. We broke her. It only took us four years, but we did it,” Mu said.

“No!” Bow squeezed out in between laughs. “Don’t you see how silly this is? We’re all so concerned over this time piece and how it works that we’re ignoring the fact that Timmy practically adopted it and named it Brad! It’s an all-powerful, one-of-a-kind, magical artifact, and its named _Brad!_ ”

Timmy was the next to begin snickering. “I guess it is pretty weird when you think about it.”

Mu began to laugh as well, Hattie following suit. Soon, they all entered some sort of laughing fit, like they were nothing more than a few kids playing together at recess. It was insanely cathartic.

When they all finally calmed down, Bow gave them a soft smile. “Let’s just stop all of this arguing and theorizing, at least for a second! We should take a break and play video games or something, because trying to come up with all of these solutions and possibilities is going to drive us insane!” She stood up, putting her hands on her hips. “There’s not much we can do before we find out whose magic made Brad… well, Brad, so what do you say!?”

Mu pumped a fist in the air. “Now, that’s what I’m talking about! How about a game of Initial T, huh? I’m gonna beat all of you!”

“All of us?” Timmy scoffed. “As if! I reign supreme on that game.”

Hattie rolled her eyes. “Sure, Trash Boy. Keep feeding your delusions.”

As the three teens excitedly went to go leave the laboratory, Bow practically skipped over to the table to set the pictures down. It was an amazing feeling making her friends temporarily feel better. It made her feel like she was worth something. It made her feel like she was good enough.

Maybe she shouldn’t dictate her worth on helping people or trying to accomplish something significant. Maybe she was good enough just by being herself…?

No, today must have just been a fluke. But it was a nice fluke, and she hoped it would happen again.

“Hey.”

Bow met Timmy’s eyes. He set Brad down on the table, right by the pictures.

“Hey. I thought you were going to the main room with the others?”

He put his hands in his pockets, nervously looking away from her. “I was, but I wanted to say thank you. For everything. You’ve had my back for nearly the entire day, and I wanted to let you know I appreciated that.”

A warm feeling filled Bow’s body at the compliment. “You’re welcome, but I think this timeline is ruining your skater boy aesthetic by making you go soft.”

“Tell no one,” he chuckled. “Also, since we’re both here, can I please wear the other dweller mask out? The one you gave me is really creepy, and I think I’m gonna have nightmares about it.”

“Hmmm…” Bow tapped her chin in thought before a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. “Nope. Sorry!”

“What!?”

Smirking, Bow took the creepy mask out of her pocket and tossed it over to Timmy, watching as he fumbled to catch it. “Enjoy your stay in this timeline, Timmy! Or should I say… Trash Boy?” She quickly put her own dweller mask on and sprinted out of the room.

“Bow, come back here!” Timmy called from behind her, struggling to put the mask on quickly.

“Not a chance!”

“Bow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was playing as Timmy in the game, and you know how if you don't cancel a dive, you just slide for a bit before you stop, right? Okay, so I was in the Subcon Forest and I made him dive, but Timmy did not stop. He just kept sliding. He then started speeding up, went straight into the bog with the hands that try to drown you, and died. The kicker? I WASN'T EVEN TOUCHING THE CONTROLS! I guess Timmy had a death wish, literally! *sitcom laugh track* No but seriously I think my game is haunted guys please help... also, Initial T is a reference to the game Timmy was playing in the trailer for Timmy Day 2. The people behind the next Timmy Day have been oddly quiet recently and I'm kinda scared
> 
> Join me in the next chapter of Co-op where Hattie eats a fork


	6. The Bright, Loud, and Kind of Annoying Metro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain back in May, as I'm about to go to sleep: hey guess what  
> Me: what  
> My brain: okay so you know how Timmy is left handed and Bow is right handed??  
> Me: I didn't know that but continue  
> My brain: whenever they hold hands, they hold their nondominant hands together to signify that they're stronger together :)  
> Me: wait why are you telling me this they're not gonna hold hands a lot right-
> 
> Also don't ask me about Timmy's internal cat tangent I don't know what happened there either

A lot had happened in the past four weeks.

Well, not a lot relating to Brad, sadly. No matter how many tests Hattie ran on both the time piece and Timmy’s magic, there still was no way to tell who else’s magic made Brad the funky little time piece he was today.

However, Timmy didn’t mind prolonging his stay in this timeline. Hattie, Mu, and especially Bow were really good company. They ate together, played video games together, threatened to kick each other out of the spaceship when someone was caught cheating at said video games…

All in all, he was having fun.

This morning, Timmy awoke like he always did: imagining the smell of pancakes being made and pretending to hear that faint sizzling of bacon nearby. Only this time, it didn’t go away.

“Huh,” Timmy said to himself. “That’s strange.”

“What’s strange?”

Timmy looked up, meeting eyes with Bow, who had just emerged from the bedroom. Apparently, ever since Mu came to live on the spaceship, the girls had slept in Hattie’s pillow fort together every night, almost as if they were in some kind of never-ending sleepover.

Timmy was banished to the couch in front of the TV because he snored too loud.

“Do you smell pancakes?” Timmy asked, standing up. “Because I do. I also hear bacon being made. Am I hallucinating? I’m hallucinating, right? I knew it!”

Bow paused for a moment before a delighted gasp escaped her. “You’re not, because she’s here!”

He nodded. “Ah, of course. She’s here. I had a feeling she was. Side note,” Timmy coughed awkwardly, "who’s she?”

Excitedly, Bow lead him up the ladder to the kitchen, where there was an anthropomorphic orange cat, wearing a chef’s hat and uniform, cooking by the oven. Bow ran up to the cat, a wide grin on her face.

“Mom!”

Timmy’s eyes widened. “Mom? That’s your mom?”

“Yeah!” Bow nodded, as if this was the most logical thing in the world.

Well, that didn’t make sense. Cats don’t give birth to humans, as far as Timmy was concerned. Could cats give birth to humans in this timeline? Was Bow secretly a cat? She couldn’t be, right? Cats drink milk, and last time Timmy checked, Bow was lactose intolerant. He would know; Bow told him that three days ago.

What if Bow was ostracized from cat society because she couldn’t drink milk? That would make her some sort of outsider, right? But wait, Bow was in that cat-filled metro when they first met. If Bow was an outsider, she wouldn’t be allowed back in there so easily. It would be impossible!

Or maybe… that’s just what Bow wanted him to think!

Timmy was certain now. Bow was some kind of half-cat girl that was banned from the metro for not being able to drink milk. However, because she couldn’t abandon the place she grew up in, every so often, she would sneak back in to take in the sights of her hometown once more and be filled with the wonderful feeling of nostalgia. She never got caught because cats are dumb, and dogs are way cooler.

The chef cat turned around, smiling when her eyes landed on Bow. “Hello, sugar!” she purred, pulling Bow into a hug. “How have you been? Sorry I haven’t visited in a while. Things got really hectic in both Mafia Town and on set.”

“I’m good! Mom, I want you to meet someone.” Bow gestured to Timmy, whose eyes were darting back and forth between her and the cat in confusion. “This is Timmy! I found him in the dumpster.”

The cat looked at her weirdly. “You found him in the what-now?”

“The dumpster! You know, the one in the alleyway by the jewelry store?”

“Okay.” She blinked. “I’m, uh, not gonna question that. I’m Cooking Cat, but you can call me CC for short. I’m Bow’s adoptive mother.” CC held her paw out for a handshake.

False alarm. Bow wasn’t some sort of rebel going against the cat authority. Not that Timmy minded, of course. She was still pretty cool, nonetheless.

“Oh, adopted! That makes sense.” Timmy accepted the handshake, noticing that out of the corner of his eye, Bow frowned. Did he say something wrong? “I’m Timmy, but I guess you already knew that. I’m from another timeline.”

“Another timeline, huh?” CC picked up a spatula and began to flip some pancakes, causing Timmy’s mouth to water. “How’d that happen?”

Bow shrugged. “We’re not really sure, but we know it had something to do with this weird time piece that Timmy found.”

“Brad,” Timmy corrected. “The weird time piece has a name.”

Bow rolled her eyes, before seemingly remembering something that she needed to say. “Hey, Mom? Did you get any—”

“No, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” CC sighed, turning off the oven. “You know, if you’re so eager to get back into the business, you could always help me out on set. I’m sure the crew would love to see you again. It could be just like old times. What do you say?”

Bow shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

“Bow, you’re not—”

“Anyway!” Bow suddenly smiled, grabbing Timmy’s hand. “We should go wake up Hattie and Mu. They’ve slept long enough.”

“Uh, actually...” Timmy pulled away from her grasp, ignoring how cold his hand instantly became. “I was hoping I could talk to your mom for a bit. I, uh, wanted to convince her to let me see some baby photos of you.”

Bow gave Timmy a playful punch on the shoulder (which actually kind of hurt) and laughed. “Okay, weirdo. See you in a bit!” She ran off, leaving Timmy and CC alone in the kitchen.

“So, you want the baby pictures, yeah?” CC grinned at him, almost knowingly. “If you get me a few plates from the cabinet on the far left, I’ll show you a couple.”

“Oh, no, actually. I just said that so Bow would leave.” Despite that, Timmy walked over to the cabinet and handed her some plates. “I just wanted to ask you something about Bow.”

CC put a few strips of bacon on one of the plates. “What about Bow? Is she okay?” As soon as she was done filling the plate up with food, she set it on the counter beside her and began to do the same for the other three plates.

“Well,” Timmy hesitated, “that’s kinda what I wanted to ask you.”

After she finished putting food on all of the plates, she turned back to Timmy, a concerned expression on her face. “Is something wrong with Bow?”

He put his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know if this is my place to say, but ever since I met Bow, she just seemed so… sad? Lonely? I don’t really know how to put it.”

“Sad, huh?” CC glanced at the ground in thought. “How so?”

Timmy wasn’t the best at picking up on other people’s feelings, and was even worse at having to comfort someone. When he was travelling the planet with HK, he noticed a lot of people and creatures that were in distress, specifically quite a few dwellers that had lost their way. Whenever that happened, he would always awkwardly step back and let HK handle it. She wasn’t that much better at it than him, but at least she tried.

Maybe that was why he had, like, two friends back in his timeline.

However, ever since Timmy peeked at Bow’s songbook, he noticed a side of her that she desperately tried to hide. He didn’t know what was happening in her head, but it certainly wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows like she tried to get everybody to believe. Timmy just wanted Bow to be okay. She had done so much for him, and even though they didn’t know each other for long, he truly cared for her.

Finally, he sighed. “I don’t know,” he decided on saying. “I’m not sure if this is my place to say, but I’ve noticed that a lot of the time, Bow fakes her smiles. She’s extremely good at it, but I’ve managed to see through a few of them somehow. I just… I don’t know. I’m so worried about her and I can’t figure out why. I can’t even figure out a way to ask her if she’s okay!” Timmy leant against the counter, running a hand through his hair. “I just thought you might know something since you’re, you know, her mom.”

CC’s ears twitched as she processed what Timmy just told her. “Well,” she started, “I wasn’t aware of all of that. Bow doesn’t come to me with her problems. Bow doesn’t go to anyone with her problems, actually. I can tell you one thing that might be bothering her, though.”

Timmy perked up. “What is it?”

“Bow used to act in the metro. She got her start when I brought her on my cooking show, and when word got around that there was a human in the metro, she got pretty popular,” CC had a fond look on her face as she spoke, probably due to reliving the simpler times in her head. “A few companies called me to have her act in some commercials and model some items, and for most of her life, she was either rehearsing or filming. Although it could be stressful at times, Bow absolutely loved it.”

“Wow.” Timmy glanced at the door, hoping the girls wouldn’t walk in. “Wait, you said that she _used_ to act. What happened?”

CC shrugged. “One day, the calls just stopped coming. Bow hasn’t been asked to act in anything in about four years.”

“Four years!?” Timmy jumped away from the counter. “What? Why?”

“I don’t know, but ever since then, Bow hasn’t been the same,” CC sighed, handing Timmy two plates. “Here, take these and bring it out to the main room. Someone will bring out the folding table once they see I’ve made breakfast.”

Timmy took the plates, choosing to take the ramp down to the lower level instead of the ladder. CC was right behind him.

“Hey,” CC said as soon as they got off the ramp. “Thanks for caring about Bow. I think if you show her that you’re there for her, she’ll open up to you.”

“How?” Timmy asked.

Footsteps sounded from the tunnel connected to the bedroom door. The girls would be here soon.

“Be gentle with her,” CC quickly said.

At that, Bow entered the main room with a sleepy-looking Hattie and Mu behind her. Her eyes lit up when she saw the plates full of breakfast, and immediately ran over to the left corner of the spaceship, right by the door to the machine room, and grabbed a folding table.

“Hattie! Mu! Help me set up, please?” Bow said, dragging the folding table to the middle of the room. “If one of you could also get the spare chairs from the machine room, that’d be great too.”

They obliged, and soon, the teens were eating their breakfast, talking, and laughing amongst themselves. Timmy caught Bow’s eyes a few times; she seemed to be doing okay, but he was still worried for her. CC hung around them for a little while before she began her goodbyes, saying that she was going to restock the fridge and do some other… chef related things.

Timmy wasn’t really paying attention. He was too focused on his debate with Hattie about which side of the room the burger plush should go on.

CC gave a hug to both Hattie and Mu, chuckling over the absurdity of the ongoing argument. She walked over to Bow and was seemingly about to say something, but Bow held up a hand to stop her. Sighing, CC opted for giving her daughter a quick kiss on the top of her head.

When she got to Timmy, she whispered, “I put extra bacon on your plate.”

Timmy liked Cooking Cat.

“Well,” Hattie started after CC went back into the kitchen, “moving away from the fact that every word Timmy said in the past ten minutes was wrong—”

“Hey!”

“—we really need to find out who else’s magic corrupted… Brad.” Hattie picked up a strip of bacon, held it between her thumb and forefinger (wait, where’d her fork go?), and waved it around as she spoke, almost as if it were a baton or a magic wand. “I was thinking we could go to a different area every so often and just… I don’t know, look around and talk to the locals or something? Maybe they’ve seen something suspicious or out of the ordinary.”

“Great idea!” Mu took the bacon strip from her girlfriend, causing Hattie to glare at her. “Where should we start? I was thinking Mafia Town.”

“Mafia Town!?” Timmy whined. “No, it’s not the same without Thor there to prank. There’s a really fancy cruise in this timeline, right? Let’s go there!”

As Hattie and Mu made some noises of agreement, Bow’s eyes widened. “I don’t know. The cruise can be a little _cold_ at times, Timmy,” she said, picking at her half-eaten pancake.

Timmy tilted his head in confusion. “Are you saying that the AC is on constantly, or…?”

“What I mean is”—Bow put her fork down and clasped her hands together—“it’s very cold, Timmy. Extremely cold. One might even call it… icy.”

It took a few seconds, but the realization of what she was implying finally hit Timmy’s brain. “Oh. Uh, never mind. I’m not too big on the cold. Where else could we go?” He mouthed a silent “thank you” to Bow, smiling when she shot him a peace sign in return.

“How about the Subcon Forest?” Hattie suggested.

“NO!” cried Mu and Bow. Apparently, they had initially bonded over their shared hatred for the spooky forest. Timmy didn’t understand why. It was a pretty chill place!

“That forest is so weird,” Mu grimaced, shuddering. “I mean, you’re practically surrounded by dead and/or mentally unstable creatures. There’s literally no escape from them! Plus, have you seen that swamp that tries to drown you!? I wouldn’t touch that entire place with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole!”

Oh. That was why.

Hattie gave her a smug look. “Don’t tell me… are you scared of the Subcon Forest?”

“N-no!” Mu began to turn a bright red. “I just don’t like it! It’s weird and gross. I’m not scared of it!”

“Mmhmm. Sure. I totally believe you.”

Timmy glanced at Bow for what felt like the millionth time this morning. “Where do you think we should go, Bow? You haven’t suggested anything yet.”

As if not used to being asked on what she felt or thought, Bow stiffened. “Uh, I don’t know. Maybe the metro? I mean, that was where I found Timmy.”

“That’s a really good idea,” Hattie said. “Everyone cool with going to the metro?”

“Sounds good to me!” Mu exclaimed.

Timmy nodded, watching with elation when Bow seemed to perk up a little bit. A small, yet genuine grin spread across her face, causing his heart rate to pick up. He did that. He made her happy!

His little moment of admiration was ruined when Hattie took his fork and asked if she could eat it.

Wait, what?

“Did you just ask if I was going to eat my fork?”

Hattie raised an eyebrow. “Are you?”

“No!”

“Well then, more for me!” With that, she took a bite of the fork, leaving Timmy stunned and the girls laughing at his confusion. Timmy joined in with their chuckles, despite having no clue what was happening.

Maybe that was why HK never seemed to have any silverware in her spaceship…

After finishing up their breakfast and saying goodbye to CC again, the teens made their way to the metro. As soon as they arrived, the neon lights immediately began to scorch Timmy’s retinas, causing a few after-images to cover his vision for a moment. Luckily, Mu seemed to be in the same boat as him.

“I always forget how bright this place is,” she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Timmy hummed in agreement. “It’s really loud too.”

“And— Mu held up her index finger—“kind of annoying.”

“True!” Timmy responded, earning a scoff from Bow.

“You haven’t even seen most of the metro yet!” Bow shot back. “All you’ve seen is this”—she gestured to the main station—“and the dumpster. You can’t judge the metro because you’ve only seen, like, five percent of it! I bet you’ll end up liking it once you see more.”

Timmy walked over to Bow, smirking. “Is that a challenge?”

“It is!” Bow said determinedly, crossing her arms. “Unless… you’re too chicken to accept?”

“Well, then. Considering I’m not one to back down from a dare”—Timmy stepped even closer to her—“I accept.”

Mu rolled her eyes. “Great. Just as a reminder, we’re looking for suspicious activity, not semi-flirtatious banter.”

“I guess that means we’ll split up, then?” Hattie asked before Timmy or Bow could respond to Mu’s comment. “Mu and I can look around the Yellow Overpass and Pink Paw stations, while you guys can check the Bluefin Tunnel and Green Clean Station. Sound good?”

They nodded, and soon, Hattie and Mu took off, the former excitedly talking about how delicious the plates were in the metro.

Everything about this timeline was weird, or at the very least, unfamiliar. Timmy didn’t really care, though. In fact, he was, in essence, straight up vibing.

Bow held her hand out to him. “Ready to be proven wrong?”

Timmy wasn’t much of a hand-holder, but he felt comfortable around Bow. He didn’t really know why, but he assumed that was because she, in a sense, rescued him from the dumpster. Maybe holding hands with the person who rescued you from the dumpster was standard trash gremlin protocol? That had to be it.

He took her hand, and they made their way to the Green Clean Station. As Bow guided him around, Timmy grew surprised at the amount of parkour that was apparently needed to roam around a metro, of all places. Why was it so complicated to get from point A to B here? The cats that built this place must have been on catnip or something.

Funnily enough, every time they let go of one another to hop around the station (or float, in Timmy’s case), their hands made their way back to each other, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. It felt… right?

It was kind of strange. Timmy was never this close with HK, or anyone else for that matter. Why was he so comfortable with her?

“Hey, Bow?” Timmy asked as soon as she was done talking to the cat at the ticket booth. “Can I ask you something?”

She handed him a metro pass, which he gladly took with his free hand. “Sure! Is something wrong?”

Timmy thought for a moment. What should he say? He had a few things he wanted to ask her, one of them being if she was okay. Would now be a good time to ask her that? They were alone, save for the few cats wandering around them and scrolling on their phones.

“Timmy?” Bow had stopped walking now, causing him to jolt to a halt as well. “Are you okay?”

 _I wanted to ask you that,_ Timmy thought. Instead, he replied, “Yeah! I’m fine. I’m just… hungry?”

Bow glanced at him, puzzled. “We had breakfast less than an hour ago.”

He shrugged. “I’m a growing boy, Bow.”

“Well,” Bow pondered on his comment for a moment, “I think I saw somewhere we could get food below us. Are you alright with backtracking?”

“I’m cool with that.”

Bow nodded, and they jumped down to the level below them, startling two nearby cats who were just trying to have a quiet conversation. In front of the cats was a small little take-out café, which had a logo of a coffee cup with a cute cat face on it. At the counter stood a tall, slender black feline. He had yellow eyes that seemed to pierce into Timmy’s soul, and his left eye was significantly smaller and narrower than the right one. Timmy wasn’t sure if he was born with that or if he was just squinting really hard to seem intimidating.

The cat broke out into a big grin when his eyes landed on Bow. “Well, well, well! Look who decided to pay her old babysitter a visit!”

Timmy almost questioned his comment, but then promptly gave up. Considering how familiar Bow was with the metro, he was just going to assume that Bow somehow knew every single cat in this place from now on. It was easier that way.

“Hello, Johnny!” Bow reached over the counter and pulled the cat into a short hug, letting go of Timmy’s hand in the process. “How have things been?”

“Ah, same old, same old,” he waved a hand dismissively. “The boss has been slightly more uptight than usual for some reason, but other than that, I’ve been fine.”

“The boss?” Bow raised an eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t have a boss, since you run this little café by yourself.”

Johnny faltered. “Oh! U-uh, I do! Have a boss, I mean. You just haven’t seen them because they’re a more, uh, ‘behind the scenes’ kind of cat.”

“Oh, okay!” Bow said. “Anyway, before we order, I have a few questions to ask you. Have you seen anything suspicious lately?”

A few beads of sweat poured down Johnny’s face. “Suspicious? What do you mean?”

“Like, you know, anything out-of-the ordinary or weird. I just wanted to know because we found this strange…”

As Bow questioned Johnny, Timmy took the time to scan Johnny’s little shop. There wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary. There were three jars of coffee beans and a stack of cups to Timmy’s left, and a cash register and some assorted sweets on a small, three-tiered rack to his right. Behind Johnny was a few coffee machines and a menu written in a language Timmy could not understand above it. There was also a white face mask with cat whiskers painted on it hidden in the far-right corner.

Weird. Was the mask a part of some health code or something?

Timmy was snapped back to reality when Bow tapped his shoulder.

“Timmy,” she whispered. “Johnny asked what you wanted to eat.”

“Uh…” Timmy looked at the menu, pretending he could comprehend the strange symbols written on it. “Burger,” he finally said.

Johnny gave him a strange look. “This is a café. We don’t sell burgers here.”

“Right, right, right. Of course. I was just kidding!” Immediately, he turned to Bow. “I wasn’t kidding. I can’t read this menu at all. Please help,” he whispered.

Bow let out a giggle. “Can you get us a small batch of cookies, Johnny?”

“Coming right up!”

As Johnny went to go get the cookies from the rack, Timmy decided to seize this opportunity to grab Bow’s hand again. Although initially shocked, she squeezed his hand, letting him know that she was okay with this action.

It was now or never.

“Bow? Are you okay?” The words tumbled out of Timmy’s mouth before he could stop himself.

She blinked. “Yeah? Why are you asking?”

“Well, I—”

“Here are your cookies, Bow!” Johnny suddenly called, holding a small brown bag out towards her.

Bow took the cookies. “Thank you so much!” She handed the bag to Timmy and began to dig through her pocket.

Johnny held out a hand to stop her. “No need. It’s on the house.”

“No, Johnny, I can’t accept that.”

“I’m serious! It’s nice to see the kid who I used to babysit,” he grinned, pointing at Timmy and Bow’s intertwined hands, “and get to meet her new boyfriend.”

“OKAY! We’re leaving now! Thank you, Johnny!” Bow hurriedly dragged Timmy away from the cat who was howling with laughter.

For the rest of the time they were in the Green Clean Station, Bow and Timmy were silent, save for asking the occasional cat if they saw anything strange recently. Eventually, they made it to one of the highest parts of the station. There were a few platforms leading to one of the holographic tracks of the cat-pulled subways, but other than that, it seemed like they had reached a dead-end.

Bow sighed. “Want to head back? We still have the Bluefin Tunnels to check.”

“No.”

“…What?”

“Bow, I want to ask you something,” Timmy stepped in front of her, making sure they were meeting eyes for what he was about to say. “Do you remember when I found your songbook?”

Bow huffed. “I’d like to forget, but yes, I do remember. Why?”

“I want to ask you about the lyrics.”

She froze. “W-what about them?”

“What about them?” Timmy’s voice began to raise in volume before he realized that his tone was making her more distressed than she already was.

 _“Be gentle with her,”_ CC’s voice echoed in his head.

Timmy took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s just… in every song you wrote, I kept on seeing things like ‘unimportant’ and ‘not enough’. You’ve also been a lot more quiet lately, and even though I know I haven’t known you for long, you don’t seem like yourself. Are you okay?”

Bow stepped away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. “Good job, Bow,” she muttered. “Now he’s worried about you.”

“Look, I understand if you don’t want to tell me, but I at least want to let you know that I’m here for you.” He moved closer to her, frowning when she backed away further. “You’ve helped me so much during this journey, even when I didn’t deserve it, and I want to let you know that I appreciate that.”

“Timmy,” Bow’s voice wavered, but she kept her composure, “this isn’t important right now. We need to figure out how to get you home. Please don’t waste time on my problems. They’re not important.”

“So, you admit something’s bothering you?”

Bow gasped. “Did I say that? I-I just meant hypothetically, if there _was_ something bothering me, you shouldn’t worry about it because I’m not important!” Realizing she messed up, her eyes widened. “I mean, _it’s_ not important. In the grand scheme of the universe, what I’m going through is, uh, menial, at best. We really shouldn’t dwell on this, Timmy.”

“Bow,” Timmy started, “do you hear yourself? Saying that you’re not important?”

She clenched her hands into fists. “You don’t know me that well, Timmy. How can you determine if I’m important or not based off of only knowing me for, like, a month?”

Uh oh. This wasn’t good. Bow becoming defensive about this not a part of the “Make Bow Feel Better Plan”.

Well, Timmy didn’t actually have a plan, but if he did, this would not be a part of it. Why was comforting people so hard? Why couldn’t there be some sort of cheat code, or at the very least, a walkthrough on how to do this?

“Everyone’s important,” Timmy decided on saying, reaching out for her once more.

She turned away from him and took a deep breath. “Not me.”

Bow then pulled a move that was all too familiar to him: she ran away from her problems. She took off towards the platforms leading to the holographic subway tracks. Timmy momentarily froze in shock before chasing after her.

“Where are you going!?”

“Somewhere you won’t be able to get to!”

“That’s not a location!”

It was times like these when Timmy realized how truly agile Bow was. She effortlessly launched herself on top of a moving subway train from the last platform, causing Timmy’s jaw to drop.

How was he going to follow her? He couldn’t parkour like that!

…But he could levitate.

Timmy was firm in his decision now. He was going to follow Bow and help her with whatever she was going through. He might not have been the best at picking others up when they were down, but he was going to try.

After all, co-op players stick together, even if they’re from different timelines.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna hold your hAAAAAaaaaaaAAAAAaaaand-
> 
> Johnny's actually in the metro! You can go say hi to him and tell him he's looking kinda sus... I was going to change his name to a cat pun but I never did so, uh, whoops. Also, I forgot to say this back in August (I was gonna mention it in chapter 4 but I forgot double whoops), but shout-out to my friend who drew me Timmy for my birthday and made him look so soft and cute. We stan a soft Timmy. Anyway, join us next time on Co-op for a thrilling ASMR video where I look you in the eyes and swear to you that Bow is and always has been my favorite character from AHiT as she's literally sobbing in the background


	7. Take the Weight From My Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOW KID ANGST! BOW KID ANGST! BOW KID ANGST!
> 
> Sorry I literally do that as a way to cope whenever Bow is sad
> 
> Y'ALL it is time for the very first chapter I ever wrote/developed for Co-op!! This chapter (and by extension, this entire fic) was inspired by the song "Take the Weight" sung by Kristin Stokes. I don't know how or why I came to associate this song with these two, but I'm not complaining. I think what drew me to this chapter's concept originally was the fact that Bow and Timmy's roles are, in a sense, reversed. What I mean is, Bow tends to be the "giver" in most relationships while Timmy tends to be the "taker". This isn't healthy for either of them, so they're gonna learn how to do what's unfamiliar to them and grow as people... hopefully.
> 
> Also I'm not legally allowed to do the ASMR video because I would be "disturbing the peace" and "freaking out everyone I know and love" or whatever

Bow’s favorite part of the metro was the very top. You could see everything from there, but no one could see you. It was the perfect observation spot.

Unfortunately, it was extremely difficult to get to. Even if you only made one wrong step, the result could be fatal. However, Bow didn’t really care. It was her favorite spot; she had to take that risk just to be here.

Ironically, she wasn’t that much of a risk taker. Everything had a consequence, and because she was raised in the metro, one of the more dangerous places on the planet, she knew that all too well. Because of this, Bow always chose the action that would cause the least amount of suffering for other people. Who cared if _she_ was in pain? All she had to do was stuff her emotions deep, deep down inside of her, and soon, she’d be able to put on a smile for everyone else.

Was this healthy? No. Was it necessary? For her, yes.

Bow was eleven, almost twelve, when she put on her first fake smile.

She had been sitting by one of the cameras, going over the script for the commercial she was about to shoot when a cat wearing a black director’s cap walked up to her. He was a lanky black cat with a long tail and narrow yellow eyes. Despite his build, he had an intimidating presence and practically towered over Bow, making her nervous whenever she saw him. Bow never knew his name. She had simply referred to him as “Mr. Director”, seeing as he oversaw the entire filming process and was, unsurprisingly, the director.

“Hey, kid,” Mr. Director had said, causing Bow to look up from her script. “Get up. We’re shooting in five.”

Even though Bow was quite naïve back then, she knew that Mr. Director was a little grumpy, and didn’t really like being questioned or opposed. However, she was a little lost in thought at that moment, and had felt no desire to get up.

“Uh, hello? We’re shooting in five,” Mr. Director repeated. “Get up.”

Bow remembered feeling so heavy, like there was a weight on her entire body preventing her from standing. “I don’t feel well,” she said, wanting nothing more than to just lie down and take a nap. “Can we wait a few more minutes to shoot? I just need a break.”

The cat scoffed. “A break? You just had one three hours ago! What’s wrong with you, kid?”

Bow didn’t really want to say, but CC had always told her that if she wasn’t feeling her best when filming something, she had to let the director know. That way, they were a bit gentler with and understanding of her when offering feedback.

“I’m just thinking about my parents,” Bow mumbled.

Mr. Director rolled his eyes. “CC is fine. She’s at the set right next door to us, as a matter of fact. I’d let you say hi, but we’re really behind schedule.”

“That’s not it,” she sighed. “I was just thinking about how I don’t know my actual parents, and—”

“This again!?” Mr. Director pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly irritated. “Look, you’ve been thinking about this all week, okay? Let it go! Actually, I’ll do you one better.” He knelt down in front of Bow and put his hands on her shoulders. “I’ll be honest with you, kid. Nobody in this building cares how you feel. All these cats care about is doing their job and actually going home on time so they can get enough sleep. You being sad or whatever is only going to make us stay much later than we want to today.”

Tears began to well up in Bow’s eyes. She wanted nothing more than to run next door and jump into her mother’s arms, but Mr. Director would only yell at her for that. He would scream at her that she was being whiny and annoying, and if she kept this up, she wouldn’t be good enough for any other gig. She settled for wrapping her arms around herself instead, imagining someone was giving her a big, comforting hug. She felt so alone.

Mr. Director exhaled and removed his hands from her shoulders. “So, here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna suck it up and go put on a big smile in front of the cameras, and we’re gonna finally finish filming this commercial and go home.”

“But I can’t smile right now,” Bow whimpered. “I’m too sad.”

“THEN SHUT UP AND FAKE IT!” The cat exploded at her, causing her to reel back in shock. Noticing he had made a scene and some of the other workers were staring, Mr. Director glared at them, causing the employees to awkwardly go back to whatever they were doing. He turned back to Bow, who was trembling.

“You know I can easily replace you with some cat, right?” He hissed, standing up. “I don’t care if you’re famous here. People are only paying attention to you because you’re a human in the metro. You’re just a trend. Sooner or later, people will move onto the next big thing. You’re not important, Bow.”

Bow couldn’t even recall the commercial she filmed that day. All she remembered was how to fake being happy. She was a natural at it, too. If Mr. Director actually cared, he might’ve been proud of her. She even fooled her own mother.

“How was filming today?” CC had asked after she picked Bow up. “You’ve been kinda quiet, dear.”

In response, Bow had given her first fake smile outside of acting. “It was fine! I’m just tired, that’s all. Don’t worry about me, Mom! How was your day?”

The weight on her body had later disappeared that evening, but it soon came back as a weight on her mind. The negative thoughts in her head never seemed to leave her alone after that day. Things only got worse when Timmy confessed that he was worried about her. Just how stupid was she to let someone see that she was suffering!?

Her brain was hurting so much. Bow sat down, clutching her head between her hands. “There’s been a weight on my mind for the past four years,” she realized, speaking to no one in particular and looking down at the metro below her. “Timmy, if you’re still trying to get to where I am right now, I’m truly sorry. I just can’t have you worry about me. You have too much on your plate right now, and I will not burden you with any of my issues. They’re not important.” Her breathing began to grow ragged and her vision started turning blurry. “I’m not important.”

“Well, that’s an unradical thing to assume.”

Stiffening, Bow glanced over her shoulder to see Timmy standing behind the manhole she came out of a few minutes prior.

“You made it up here,” she sighed, having no energy to try and run from him again. She blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears that were forming in her eyes.

Timmy walked over to her. “Yeah. I didn’t take the parkour route, though. Your boy flew!” He sat down on her left and gave her finger guns.

Despite herself, Bow snickered. “Cheater.”

“Hey, now. There were no rules! You can’t break what doesn’t exist!”

“You have a point.”

Silence fell between them for a few moments. Bow glanced at Timmy, who was staring at the metro below them. His eyes danced along the sea of cats that were milling about on their phones and having hushed conversations with their friends. He still seemed confused by the cat-pulled subways, but Bow had come to learn that Timmy was confused about most things. It probably didn’t help that he was currently in an unfamiliar timeline that he didn’t even exist in.

Speaking of which…

“Hey, Timmy?”

Timmy snapped out of whatever daze he was in and met her eyes. “What’s up?”

“I don’t exist in your timeline, right?” Bow played with a loose thread on her skirt, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “I mean, you would have recognized me if I did, so…”

He thought for a second. “No, I don’t think you do. Why’d you ask?”

“I don’t know.” Bow broke eye contact with him, choosing instead to focus on the loose thread she was fiddling with. “Just needed a reason to prove to you that I’m not important.”

“So, you’re saying that _I’m_ unimportant?”

Bow’s eyes widened, snapping her head up to look at him once more. “No! I didn’t say that! You are important.”

“But by your logic”—Timmy shifted his body to face her—“I’m unimportant because I don’t exist here.”

“That’s not true,” she stated firmly. “It doesn’t matter if you belong here or not, because you’re important either way, okay? I don’t want you talking about yourself like that.”

Timmy raised his eyebrows, an expectant look on his face.

“Oh,” Bow breathed. “I see what you did there.”

He smirked. “Clever, huh? Now, I’m gonna ask you this again. ”Timmy scooted closer to her. “Are you okay?”

Bow opened her mouth, ready to give him a fake smile and a noncommittal “I’m fine!” However, she found herself unable to. The weight on her mind grew stronger as a shaky breath escaped her.

“No,” she answered honestly. “I’m not okay.”

Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face. Bow immediately looked away from Timmy, not wanting him to see her this vulnerable. She whispered a bunch of apologies (whether they were directed towards him or herself, she wasn’t sure) as she drew her knees into her chest, holding onto herself tightly.

A pair of arms wrapped around her. “Bow,” Timmy whispered, “I’m gonna be real with you. I don’t know how to comfort people, like, at all. This is why I only have two friends back home. I’m not exactly a soft boy, despite what you may believe.”

In between sniffles, Bow giggled.

“However, I’ve never opened up to anyone before I met you,” Timmy continued, bringing her closer to him. “It was… weird, not gonna lie, but it was a good weird. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of me, and it was all because you listened to me. I want to do the same for you.”

“Why?” Bow asked, trying desperately to stop herself from crying. Nothing was working. She couldn’t stop.

“Because I care about you. I want to help you take this weight from your mind.”

She was quiet for a few seconds. The last time she tried to talk about her feelings, well…

Bow was told that she wasn’t important, straight to her face.

That was four years ago, though. Could things be different now? Bow had no way to tell; for all she knew, Timmy could do the exact same thing that Mr. Director did and make her feel like she was worth absolutely _nothing_ … but she wanted to trust him.

Maybe this could be a new risk to take.

“I was apparently left here in the metro as a baby. I never knew my parents,” she started, surprising herself when a few words escaped her. Immediately, Bow began to spiral back. “Wait, why am I even sad about that? You probably don’t know your parents either, and Hattie and Mu have had way more traumatic pasts than me. Shouldn’t we be focusing on what’s actually important, like getting you home? I should just shut up and-”

“Keep going,” Timmy encouraged her. “I’m here for you. This is a judgement-free zone.”

Although it took some more gentle encouragement, Bow began to talk about her experience on the set that day. As she did, Bow took note of the fact this entire situation was wildly out of character for Timmy. He was stepping outside of his comfort zone for her. Did she even deserve that?

Whatever the answer was, Bow appreciated what he was doing for her. Timmy was right; opening up after keeping your feelings inside for so long was weird, but a good weird. Being listened to made her feel loved. It made her feel seen.

It made her feel important.

“Okay, first off,” Timmy said after she was finished, “does this Mr. Director still live here? If so, could you kindly point me to where he is? Him and my radical laser beams need to have a little chat.”

“I don’t know, and no, Timmy, don’t beat him up,” Bow shook her head, but a slight smile graced her lips. “He was probably just stressed and having a bad day. I don’t blame him.”

“Even if he was, that doesn’t excuse what he said to you. I mean, you were already sad, and he just told you that you weren’t important? What kind of move is that?” Timmy was getting a little heated, but drew in a breath to try and calm down a little. “You said that was your last gig?”

Bow nodded. “He was a very famous director. When word got around that I was ‘difficult to work with’ or whatever, I guess nobody wanted to hire me anymore. I became… what’s the word, obsolete?”

“That lying little…” Timmy huffed. “Bow, listen to me, you are not obtuse!”

“Obsolete.”

“Same difference! Look, you’re an amazing person. You helped me out when you had no reason to and stuck by my side, even when I did something stupid.” Timmy pulled away from their embrace slightly so he could make eye contact with her. “That’s saying a lot, because ninety percent of the things I do are stupid.”

Bow slowly let go of herself.

“Bow,” Timmy continued, “you are worth far more than you see yourself as. I think you should be nicer to yourself, because you deserve that kindness. You are more than good enough, and you are so important.”

Immediately, Bow lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you,” she whispered, grateful tears pricking at her eyes. “I really needed to hear that.”

“You’re welcome.” Timmy held her tighter. “I’m here for you, okay?”

“Okay,” Bow closed her eyes, relaxing in his arms.

They stayed like that for… actually, Bow didn’t even know long it was. All Bow knew was that her head was hurting significantly less. She focused on the steady pulse of his heartbeat and how warm this hug felt— it never occurred to her how much she needed to be listened to and held.

Maybe Timmy had a point. Maybe she should be kinder to herself? After all, he barely even knew her, yet he seemed to care deeply for her.

 _It’s because he doesn’t know you yet,_ her brain sneered. _Give it another month, then he’ll see how useless you really are._

It was at that moment Bow realized that the negative voice in her head sounded an awful lot like her former director. She took a few deep breaths, snuggling closer to her friend.

Even if she wasn’t the best person, she couldn’t have been the worst. Bow hated that negative voice in her head with a passion, and she really didn’t want to hear it anymore. She was tired of these thoughts bringing her down, and she just wanted to live her life without being suffocated by them. Bow truly didn’t know if she deserved to heal or if she deserved to feel good about herself, but she wanted to. She wanted to deserve it. She wanted to be okay with who she was.

Learning how to be nicer to herself was going to be a long and hard journey, but it was one that she wanted to take. The weight on her mind might never fully go away, but that was okay. It might take her entire lifetime to fully heal from everything that she experienced, but that was okay as well.

After all, healing was a process. It took time.

She got a little push in the right direction, so why not start now?

“I appreciate you, Timmy,” Bow said, breaking the calming silence that had fallen between them. “I appreciate you so much. I want you to know that, okay?” She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“I appreciate you too, Bow,” he smiled. “By the way, I think I was wrong. I kinda like the metro now.”

She grinned. “I knew you would. Do I win something?”

He handed her the brown bag of cookies, which Bow had completely forgotten he had until now. Excitedly, she looked inside to see… nothing.

“I never said that I didn’t discreetly eat them five minutes ago.”

Bow tossed the bag back to him. “So that’s why I have cookie crumbs in my hair!”

As they laughed, they reluctantly let go of one another and stood up.

“Well, I think that’s enough crying for today. Are you ready?” Bow turned to Timmy, who had put the paper bag on the top of his head. “Why are you wearing that?”

“It’s my new hat! You, Hattie, and Mu all have things on your heads, and I wanted to fit in with you guys!” As he adjusted the bag on his head, Bow brushed off the cookie crumbs that had fallen on his shoulders. “Do I look cute?”

Bow rolled her eyes, but knew that Timmy was just doing this to cheer her up and make her laugh. “You look adorable, weirdo. Now, come on! We still have the Bluefin Tunnel to check.”

Sadly, they didn’t find anything. All they found were the Lazy Paw Gang that immediately robbed them as soon as they entered the tunnels, and those strange, gross rats that crawled around the subway stations.

They eventually made it back to the main station, where Timmy was faced with a difficult challenge: parting with his bag hat.

“Goodbye, Chuck,” Timmy whispered, putting the bag in the dumpster he landed in. “May you rest in the place I arrived.”

Bow snickered. “You named the paper bag Chuck?”

“I name every object that I have a personal connection with,” he said. “My first skateboard was named Tony, my second skateboard was named Ryan, my third…”

As Timmy listed off every single object he had named in his seventeen years of life (spoiler alert: there was a lot), a petite cat wearing a Nyakuza face mask came to the front window of the jewelry store and stared at them. He turned around and gestured to someone behind him, causing another cat to walk up next to him. They then engaged in a conversation of some sorts, which involved a lot of pointing towards Timmy and Bow.

Uh oh. This wasn’t good.

“…and that’s how I was hospitalized from eating four hundred and thirteen chicken nuggets. Anyway, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, my skull necklace is named—”

“Timmy, we have company,” Bow said as the cats emerged from the jewelry store.

The short cat pulled his mask down to his chin and whistled with his index finger and thumb, causing a bunch of other mask-wearing cats to come crawling out from the store.

Bow gulped. “This isn’t good,” she whispered to Timmy. “These cats are a part of the Nyakuza. They’re a group of cats who commit crimes under their boss, the Empress. You can tell they’re a part of the gang because of the cat masks.”

“Cat masks?” Timmy’s eyes widened in what seemed to be realization. “Bow, I kinda need to tell you something about—”

“Tell me later. Just follow my lead, okay?” She put on a dazzling smile and spun around to face the cats. “Uh, hi! What seems to be the problem?”

The petite cat put his mask back on. “Rumor has it that you and your little friend here have a time piece that can hop between timelines.”

Wait, how did he know about that? That question probably wasn’t important right now, but Bow still felt that it was valid.

“A time piece?” Bow feigned confusion, as if this was nothing more than a mere acting role she had to play. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Plus, time pieces can’t travel between timelines! Now, if you’ll excuse us—”

The cat scoffed. “Oh, yeah? If you don’t have a time piece, why is your friend holding one?”

Bow whirled around to face Timmy, who was currently… consoling the time piece? “Timmy!”

“What? Brad was getting scared! I need to be there for my son!”

As the cats threateningly crept closer to them, Bow let out a puff of air. “Fine, then. I guess we’re gonna have to do this the hard way. You ready to fight, Timmy?”

“Let’s go beat up some cats!” Timmy cried.

At the same time Bow pulled out her bat, Timmy began to levitate and charge up his magic. He fired an energy beam (or his “radical laser beam”, as he called it) and aimed it at the cats, managing to hit two of them. They exploded into a cloud of smoke, leaving behind a few regular pons and two health pons.

“I BELIEVE IN DOG SUPREMACY!” he screamed, before flying after another cat.

Bow shook her head. “We are so going to have a talk about that mindset later.”

“The boy has _magic!?_ You didn’t tell us about that!” A cat with a very long face cried, turning to the short cat.

The cat in question pulled out a bat of his own. “Does it matter!? Just beat them up and take the time piece so we can get paid! They’re only kids, for crying out loud!”

While they were arguing, Bow snuck behind the cat with the long face and hit him with her bat, sending him flying towards Timmy. “Heads up!” she called to him.

Timmy finished him off with a quick blast. As the pons from the cat fell around them, they smiled at each other for a quick moment before going back into battle mode.

Bow sprinted towards one of the taller cats who was perched on the middle dumpster. The cat lunged towards her, unsheathing his claws and raising his paw up with the intent to swipe her. Bow narrowly jumped out of the way before spinning around and hitting the cat in the back.

The cat fell to the floor, but didn’t explode. As he was getting up, Bow hit him again, causing him to stumble. He still wasn’t exploding? Huh. Looks like she got one of the harder cats. Oh well, no biggie!

 _Maybe,_ the negative voice in her head taunted, _you’re just bad at combat._

Choosing to pay her negative thoughts no mind, Bow instead focused on the cat who had just sprung onto its feet. He lunged towards her again, but this time, Bow was prepared. She hit him square on the head, causing him to poof right in front of her.

“Oh, that was satisfying!” she said to herself, her veins coursing with adrenaline.

Unfortunately, in her distracted state, the short cat had run up behind Bow and hit her in the back of the knees with his bat, sending her crumpling to the ground and her prized weapon flying out of her hands.

_Wow. Way to screw everything up, just like you always do._

“No!” Bow reached for the bat, only to be held back by the cat, who grabbed her arms and held them behind her back.

How was this tiny feline so strong!?

_Defeated by a cat who’s barely two feet tall. Way to be useless, Bow. You really thought you deserved to develop a more positive mindset? Pathetic. You know, Timmy only cares for you because you helped him out once. As soon as he leaves this timeline, you’ll become obsolete to him. Just like you always have been. You’re not important, Bow._

“I’M NEVER GONNA BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU, HUH!?” Bow yelled back, earning a strange look from the cat.

“What? I don’t even know who you are!” the cat replied.

Full of anger, Bow leapt to her feet and slammed the cat into a nearby wall with all of her might, making him fall off of her and knocking him unconscious. Despite his tiny body, he appeared to be tough enough not to poof immediately, just like the cat she fought before him.

_Or maybe you’re just weak. You know—_

“STOP!” Bow clutched her head, breathing heavily. “I don’t want to hear you anymore! All you do is just weigh me down and make it hard to live sometimes! I want to believe I’m good enough! I want to believe I’m important! But I can’t do any of that with you, you stupid weight on my mind!” She picked up her bat and blindly swung it, hitting a nearby cat who was staring at her.

The cat exploded, but she didn’t care. It was almost as if she was on autopilot; she was hitting any cat who dared to cross her path with extreme accuracy, which was strange, considering that it felt like she couldn’t see anything. When she finally calmed down, only two cats were left: the petite cat that was slowly regaining consciousness, and another cat with a long face. Was the first one his brother?

Bow was absolutely exhausted. She fell to her hands and knees, gasping for air. She heard Timmy land somewhere in front of her, calling her name. Her whole body was numb, and everything felt so far away from her. All she wanted to do was lie down, maybe cry a little.

But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t.

She didn’t.

This weight on her mind would not keep her down.

She snapped her head up, noticing that the long-faced cat had taken Brad from Timmy’s pocket and was beginning to take off with it.

“Brad!” Bow cried, pointing towards the cat.

Timmy gasped, instinctively firing an energy blast towards him. Only, he didn’t hit the cat.

He hit the time piece.

Brad twitched at a speed he had never twitched at before. The cat shrieked and dropped the time piece, causing it to shatter.

Bow’s heart stopped. Timmy’s eyes widened.

“Oh no,” they both said simultaneously.

The next thing that happened made absolutely no sense to Bow, and she was positive Timmy was confused as well.

Instead of sending the cat to another timeline like Bow thought it would, a high-pitched screech came from it. A big, no, colossal glob of red goo emerged from it, towering over everyone in the alleyway. It then split into three smaller, yet still gigantic, shapeless blobs. All three blobs had two antennas at the top, yet they all had different amounts of eyes. One had one, the second one had two, and the third had three.

They were, however, all equally disgusting.

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Bow commented, her head reeling.

“Maybe they’re on our side!” Timmy (bless his heart) decided to just go with the flow. He walked over to the three-eyed one, giving it an awkward grin. “Hey, dude, what’s-”

The three-eyed blob shot some red goo out of its antennas, scorching the sleeve of Timmy’s jacket.

“KEVIN, MY PRECIOUS JACKET! NOOOO!”

The long-faced cat ran over to his petite partner, who was clutching his head. “Okay, I have absolutely no clue what’s happening, but we gotta go!” He helped up his friend, who was groaning in pain.

“Huh? What about the time piece?”

“Doesn’t matter! Go, go, go!” He dragged his friend away from the alleyway and into the jewelry store, panicking all the while.

A flash of red light hit the corner of Bow's eyes. When she went to go look at the blobs again, they were gone. The only thing left in their place was Brad, who was strangely not broken anymore.

What.

“Okay,” Timmy started. “So, I have absolutely no idea what just happened. I mean, I hit the time piece, and then those… things… just came out of it! Did I do that?” He looked at his hands in wonder. “Can I create life?”

Bow shakily stood up. “I honestly thought I hallucinated the entire thing.” She put a hand to her head and sighed. “Too much happened today. I’m completely overwhelmed. I want to sleep.”

Timmy went over to her and put an arm around her. “You alright?”

“Yes? No? Not sure,” Bow put her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes once more. “I mean, I ran away from you, only to cry in your arms for who knows how long, we got attacked, I had another mental breakdown, and then these giant freaks against nature just showed up and left quicker than Hattie wearing her sprint hat! What kind of day was this!?”

Timmy chuckled. “Yeah. This was a weird day.”

“I did realize something, though,” Bow opened her eyes and glanced up at him. “I’m probably never going to be good enough for Mr. Director. Maybe that’s a good thing, since he wasn’t a very nice person—err—cat.”

“Bow, I—”

She held her hand up. “I don’t want to be good enough for him. I want to believe that I’m good enough for the people that actually matter to me. I want to believe that I'm good enough for myself.” Bow took his arm off of her and held his hand in both of hers. “Thank you for helping me realize that. Thank you for listening to me. When I said I appreciated you, I really meant it. I don't know if anyone has told you yet, but _you're_ important. You, uh...” A shy smile danced across her features. "You mean a lot to me."

“Wow, I…” Timmy looked away from her, a faint blush appearing on his face. “N-no problem. I’m honestly not the best at helping people, so this is kind of surprising to me.”

“Well, you helped me. Give yourself more credit!” Bow squeezed his hand. “Anyway, we should probably find Hattie and Mu now and try our best to explain what happened here.”

“Cool, but I still have no idea what just went down.”

“Yeah, me either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love how those weird blobs showed up, ruined Timmy's jacket, and said "aight I'm bout to head out." Sometimes, you just gotta do that, you know? Make like a shapeless blob and leave whatever doesn't fulfill your higher purpose. Although it isn't true, it's really funny to imagine that scorching Kevin (oh, Kevin...) was their only goal.
> 
> I think the thing about Bow is that nobody really knows whether she's an alien like Hattie or if she's actually from the metro. I debated for a while which route to take, but I then decided to leave it ambiguous. After all, "you don't have to have all of the answers to your past". Maybe Bow would find out the truth if she ate a fork... 
> 
> It's honestly insane to see how much this chapter and the entire fic itself has evolved. The concept of this chapter went from "Bow opens up about her past for the first time, but Timmy's there to comfort her and it's cute and wholesome" to "Bow has a mental breakdown while going on a killing spree". As for the fic itself, I remember joking to myself about Bow and Timmy being a ship back in September of 2019 ("I jokingly ship them haha it's just a prank bro"), and now, more than a year later? I'm here, writing a fic for them. Wild.
> 
> Anyway, the next few chapters should be a bit more light-hearted (hopefully) as we find out what in the actual peck those weird blobs are. Don't mess with the space-time continuum, kids.


	8. Magic Sucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first off hi itsahit if you're reading this thank you for the shout-out!! I don't have twitter so I can't give my thanks there, but I can give it here!! I absolutely LOVE your art so I was literally freaking out over that the entire day. You're a really cool artist and person so that really meant a lot :D If you're here from that shout-out (or just a new reader in general), hi! Welcome to my odd little fanfic about my odd little pairing. I hope you enjoy your time here!
> 
> Also, since there was so much cut content for this game (so much that there are, in a sense, "different eras" of development), I'm gonna go ahead and say that the timeline that Timmy came from is the game in its alpha stage. At this point, I think Timmy was both a part of Queen Vanessa's manor and the co-op character.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is the longest chapter of Co-op so far (will they only get longer from here? Whomst the peck knows), seeing as it is the start of the appropriately titled "Shapeless Blob Arc". Catchy, I know. Was this arc created just as a way to give Timmy some more time with his new friends? Yes. Yes, it was. This chapter takes a step back from all of the heavy emotional stuff and just gives our characters some room to breathe a little easier. They're all just vibing, you know?

“…and that’s how I was hospitalized from eating four hundred and thirteen chicken nuggets! Any questions?”

Bow sighed. “Wrong story, Timmy.”

“Huh? Oh!” Timmy took out Brad. “I hit this funky little dude with my magic and some weird blob things came out of him.”

Hattie blinked in surprise. “Sorry, what?”

“Yeah! Some shapeless blobs came out of Brad, completely ruined my jacket, and just left! Wait, does this mean that Brad gave birth? Am I a grandpa!?” Timmy’s eyes widened. “Do I have to start off every single sentence with ‘back in my day’ now? Do I have to start eating sauerkraut? Is my back gonna start aching!? Is—?”

“Timmy?”

“Yeah, Hattie?”

“Stop talking.”

“Yeah, that seems fair.”

Hattie shook her head and walked over to the yellow machine located near the door to the bedroom in the spaceship. She pressed a few buttons and toggled a few levers, causing a few exclamation points to appear on various spots of the machine’s radar screen.

“What’s that?” Timmy asked.

“This machine shows me where any anomalies that may have been created are. According to this, there are three blobs, right? There they all are!” Hattie pointed to the radar.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Uh, Hattie? There’s a lot more than three exclamation points on here. No offense, but I think you did end up failing your math class at the academy.”

“What?” Hattie squinted her eyes, leaning in closer to the terminal. “No! The rest of the exclamation points on here are stickers!”

“Stickers? Why—”

Mu let out a little laugh at his puzzled expression. “I just learned not to question it,” she said, currently hard at work on patching up Timmy’s beloved jacket, Kevin. Apparently, she had learned the basics of sewing by growing up alone in Mafia Town. She also had to figure out how to go hunting, cook raw fish, and blow stuff up!

Timmy was a big fan of that last one. He knew that Mu could make her own bombs, and he wanted to ask her to teach him. He could already see the chaos he would cause with those bombs back in his old timeline.

Thor’s dumb inventions would never stand a chance.

Mu hopped up from the couch by the TV and handed Timmy his jacket back. “There you go! One jacket, good as new!”

“Thanks, dude!” Timmy beamed, slipping the jacket back on. “Hey, by the way, do you think you could teach me how to make bombs?”

Mu tilted her head in confusion. “What for?”

“I want to cause mayhem in my timeline’s version of Mafia Town.”

Mu hummed in thought. “Although the Mafia and I are on… okay terms, that still doesn’t mean I can’t pull a few harmless pranks on them. So”—Mu put a hand over her heart, a proud smile making its way onto her face—“I’d be honored to help you do that.”

“That’s my chaos-causing girl,” Hattie smirked. “Anyway, according to my vast array of knowledge that I gathered in my many years of studying at a top of the line academy-”

“Translation: she looked it up when we were all distracted,” Bow said. “I know you, Hattie. Don’t lie.”

“I’m trying to impress my girlfriend, Bow!” Hattie playfully snapped, sticking her tongue out at her. “As I was saying, the blobs could have been a result of more of your magic clashing with the already unstable time piece. When your energy blast hit Brad, it got overwhelmed.”

“Overwhelmed?” Timmy held Brad up to his chest, giving it a big hug and rocking it back and forth. “My bad, little buddy. I didn’t mean to do that to you.”

“Wow,” Mu laughed. “You know, you’re really fond of that time piece, Timmy. Imagine what it’d be like if you comforted a real person like that. Who knows? It might actually help them a lot!”

Bow cleared her throat and looked away.

“Timmy’s weird obsession with the time piece aside—”

“Hey!”

“—because Brad got overwhelmed, bits and pieces of its magic spilled out and took the form of those shapeless blobs, presumably,” Hattie continued. “Since Brad had a big amount of your magic, normal time piece magic, and someone else’s magic, it couldn’t take it anymore. It’s like your weird and disgusting chicken nugget story, Timmy. It got full, so it had to get rid of what made it sick, so to speak.”

Timmy put a hand to his chin. “My son ate too much magic, or at the very least, ate too much of my magic, got sick, and threw up sentient shapeless blobs?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Hattie shrugged. “I mean, I know it might not make complete sense, but—”

“Nah, I’ll buy it. Weirder things have happened to me, anyway.”

Bow gave him a concerned look. “What could be weirder than sentient shapeless blobs!?”

He stared off dramatically into the distance. “It was the eve of my fifteenth birthday party—”

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” Hattie held a hand up. “I don’t think I wanna know.”

As if the machine was agreeing with her (which was fair, he wasn’t gonna lie), a loud beep came from it. Hattie turned back to it, her eyes widening.

“Huh?” She pressed a few buttons on the machine. “That can’t be right. They were just here!”

Mu walked over to her. “What’s going on?”

“The blobs! They’re… gone?” Hattie pressed some more buttons, her pace gradually growing faster and her expression turning to one of frustration. When nothing happened, she angrily kicked the terminal, immediately grabbing her foot in pain. “Ow! Bad idea! Bad idea! Stupid space technology.”

As Mu helped steady her girlfriend, Timmy turned his gaze to the radar screen, noticing that a few exclamation points had indeed vanished.

“Maybe them vanishing is a good thing?” Timmy suggested. “We don’t have to deal with them anymore!”

When Hattie stopped hopping around, she gently put her foot down and shook her head once more. “I don’t think it’s a good thing that they’re gone, Timmy. It either means that something went wrong with the anomaly detector and we can’t track them anymore, or they somehow teleported to another planet, or worse, timeline.”

Bow gasped. “Another timeline? Wait, would they even be able to do that?”

“If Brad can, then there’s a pretty big chance that they can as well,” Hattie stifled a yawn, before glancing at the machine once more and frowning. “I don’t think we can do a lot right now until these freaks against nature show back up.”

“She’s right,” Bow agreed. “We were in the metro for a really long time. Should we get some rest and try to come up with a game plan tomorrow?”

“Wait, hold on,” Timmy said. “So, that’s it? We’re just gonna give up and go to sleep?”

“Yeah, come on! If these so-called blobs are threatening the planet, I wanna take ‘em out!” Mu punched the palm of her hand with her fist. “We can’t do that when we’re sleeping!”

Bow crossed her arms. “Sleep is important, Mu. We’ve been over this.”

“Psshh. Not when energy drinks exist!”

Timmy let out an excited gasp. “You’re an energy drink lover too!?”

“Duh!” Mu whirled around to face him. “Okay, which is the better flavor: orange or blueberry?”

“Trick question! Everyone knows that the best flavor is cranberry!”

“You have answered well, my friend.”

“Oh, boy. Hattie?” Bow gave her a pleading look. “A little help here? I really want to sleep, and I feel like everyone else should too… especially after today.” Her voice turned quieter at the last part of her statement. Immediately, Timmy got the urge to hug her once more.

“They’re speaking the truth, Bow. Cranberry is the best flavor!”

Bow raised her eyebrows expectantly.

“But that still doesn’t change the fact that we can’t do anything until the machine shows us something.” Hattie took off her top hat and began to fiddle with it. “I’m sorry, Timmy. We’re gonna have to put a hold on trying to get you home until we can do something about these blobs.”

“Oh,” Timmy’s shoulders deflated, the excitement from earlier rapidly evaporating. “I guess that makes sense.”

Bow put a hand on his arm. “They shouldn’t stay away from us for too long,” she said softly.

“She’s right,” Hattie nodded. “They came from Brad, which ultimately means that they are all stronger when they’re near him. We just have to hope that they eventually realize that and make their way back to us.” It seemed like she wanted to say something more, perhaps words of comfort towards Timmy, but decided against it. “I’ll, uh, just start getting ready for bed. Sorry again, Timmy.”

“It’s chill,” he mumbled.

Hattie shot a sympathetic gaze towards him before heading off towards the bedroom.

“Hey,” Bow whispered to Timmy as soon as she left. “Let’s not assume the worst. Who knows? One of the blobs could pop back up tomorrow and we can deal with it then. We’ll get you home soon, alright? I’ll make sure of it.”

He gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem,” she hummed, rubbing his arm. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “You know what? This day has been… pretty stressful, so why don’t we just relax on the couch and turn on a movie? I’ll even put some popcorn in the microwave for us! What do you say?”

“Can I pick the movie?”

“As long as it’s not horror, sure!”

“Bow”—he put a hand on her shoulder and met her eyes—“I’m going to show you a beautiful movie that has been playing in my mind over and over again for the past two years. It’s about a talking skateboard that can fly!”

Bow laughed nervously. “Oh no,” she said, seemingly regretting her decision already. She turned to Mu, who Timmy had forgotten was still standing there. “Want to join us, Mu?”

Mu narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “I thought you said you were tired.”

“I can stay up two hours later to watch a movie with him.” Bow said. “It’s not a big deal.”

The mustached girl’s eyes darted between the other two for a while before a big grin spread across her face. “No way,” she chuckled. “No pecking way! Wow, I did not expect that!”

Bow blinked. “Huh? Is it that rare for me to stay up late?”

“It all makes sense now,” Mu continued, paying Bow no mind. “The glances, the hushed conversations, the physical contact… oh, Bow. I can’t believe it!” She met eyes with her friend, who was seemingly starting to become worried for Mu’s sanity. “Remember last year? I sure hope you do, because guess what? It’s payback time, Bow.”

With that, Mu took off towards the bedroom, leaving Bow and Timmy alone.

Bow stared at Mu’s retreating form for a moment before turning back to Timmy. “My friends are strange.”

Bow ended up being right. Well, not specifically about the comment about her friends being strange, even though that was true. She ended up being right about a blob appearing on their radar the next day. Timmy, Hattie, and Mu were all gathered around the machine when it emitted a loud beep.

“There you are!” Hattie pointed at the new exclamation point. “It’s somewhere near Dead Bird Studio!”

“Dead Bird Studio?” Timmy asked, imagining a bunch of dead birds trying to film a movie. Was the studio filled with bird ghosts, then?

A movie starring bird ghosts… now that was cool. Radical, even. What movies would bird ghosts even make?

Before Timmy could start creating an entire film starring bird ghosts in his head, a tired-looking Bow emerged from the bedroom. She looked like she was doing a bit better than yesterday (the radical movie from last night most certainly helped), but Timmy could tell that there was still a lot on her mind.

“Good morning, Bow!” Hattie waved at her friend. “Or, well, good afternoon, I guess. Ready to go deal with a shapeless blob?”

“Afternoon?” Bow rubbed her eyes. “I slept for that long?”

Mu raised an eyebrow. “Well,” she drawled out, “I mean, you were up pretty late with a certain someone… care to tell us what happened there?”

Bow scrunched her face up, clearly puzzled over what Mu was implying. “Yeah, we watched a movie. What are you getting at, Mu?”

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Mu waved a hand dismissively. She then whispered something to Hattie, who’s face morphed into something resembling pure disbelief.

“Really?” Hattie examined Timmy and Bow before meeting eyes with Mu once more. “Nah, I don’t see it.”

Mu scoffed. “You don’t see it? Hattie, I love you, but you’re absolutely wrong.”

“I’m not wrong! In fact, I’ll prove it to you. Let’s bet on it!” Hattie held her hand out for a handshake. “Whoever loses has to do the laundry for a week and pay for our next date! You in?”

“I’m in it to win it!” Mu accepted the handshake, a determined grin on her face.

Before Mu could pull away from her grasp, Hattie leant forward and gave her a quick kiss, causing Mu to let out a noise of embarrassment.

“ _Hattie!_ ” Mu shrieked, her face turning as red as her hood. Hattie instantly doubled over in laughter.

As that was going on, Bow tapped Timmy’s shoulder. A fond, yet exhausted smile was spread across her face, most likely due to her friends’ antics.

“Sup!” Timmy greeted. “Ready to see a bunch of… dead birds make movies? I don’t know. I’ve never been to Dead Bird Studio.”

Bow let out a little giggle before glancing down at the floor. “About that. I don’t think I’m gonna come with you guys today.”

“What? Why?”

She hesitated. “I think I just… need a mental health day, or something. My head still kinda hurts, honestly.” She began to fiddle with one of the buttons on her cat jacket. “Plus, I think my mom’s dropping by later today and… I want to tell her about Mr. Director. I know there’s not much I can do about it now, but I at least want to let her know what I went through.”

“Hey, take the day off! You deserve it!” Timmy gave her a lopsided grin. “I mean, I’m gonna be sad that my co-op buddy won’t be able to hear my amazing sarcastic remarks and jokes, but I’ll write them all down and give them to you,” he said, his grin getting bigger when she playfully rolled her eyes. “But seriously, I’m proud of you for taking this step. Get some rest, okay?”

“Okay. Oh! One more thing!” Bow reached into her pocket, pulling out a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer. “Hold out your hands for me, please?”

Timmy did as he was told, and Bow squirted a little bit of hand sanitizer in his hands.

“Please wash your hands. You came from a dumpster,” she commented, before facing Hattie and Mu, who were still… doing whatever they were doing. “Bye, guys! Love you!” Bow blew a kiss at everyone before making her way to the bedroom door.

“Wait, hold on,” Timmy pleaded quietly. “I don’t know what to do with this strange liquid.” He said that just to make her laugh, of course, but it was only enough for Bow to give him one last wave over her shoulder as the doors closed behind her.

Mu nudged Hattie once she realized that Bow was leaving. “See? He wants her to come back!”

“Yeah, because apparently, he doesn’t know what to do with hand sanitizer,” Hattie replied.

After eating some leftover breakfast courtesy of Cooking Cat, Timmy and Mu clung to Hattie tightly as she opened her umbrella and lead them down to Dead Bird Studio.

Upon arriving in the lobby, Timmy was immediately greeted with a bunch of surprisingly alive birds. A few nervous-looking owls sat in some benches on the left side of the studio, while some penguins wearing sunglasses were snapping to an imaginary beat on the right.

Timmy was a little intimidated by the penguins. Why were they snapping? What were they snapping to? What imaginary beat could they hear that Timmy couldn’t!?

…Was there a song being played by some dead birds or something?

“Darling, you’re back!”

“DJ Grooves!” Hattie ran over to an afro-wearing penguin standing by the reception desk and gave him a big hug. “How’s the movie coming along?”

The penguin, presumably DJ Grooves, winced. “Well, uh, not that great, darling. I love my penguins to death, but they can be a little… uncoordinated sometimes.” He gestured to the penguins, making Timmy realize that their snaps weren’t all together- they were slightly off.

Still, why were they snapping?

“Now, I know you said you didn’t want to,” DJ Grooves turned back to Hattie, “but you simply _must_ star in—”

Hattie was quick to shut him down. “I don’t like musicals.”

“It’s true,” Mu agreed. “Every time Bow even suggests watching a musical for movie night, Hattie puts on her sprint hat and runs out of the room.”

A penguin that directed movie musicals? Bow would love working for him!

“Mu, darling!” DJ Grooves gave her a hug as well, to which she happily, albeit hesitantly, accepted. “Now, enough about my movie. How are you two lovebirds doing?”

“Well, a certain someone”—Hattie side-eyed Mu once she escaped the hug—“thought it would be a good idea to try and bet against me, even though we all know she’s going to lose.”

Mu snorted. “Lose!? As if! I’m extremely confident about this one.”

“That’s what you said about the last two hundred bets, but go off, I guess.”

“Wait, what are you even betting on?” Timmy asked.

The DJ then finally seemed to notice him. “Why, hello there! Who might you be?”

“I’m Timmy!” He waved. “Sup.”

“He’s from another timeline,” Hattie explained, causing DJ Grooves to look at the boy in wonder. “Bow found him in a dumpster.”

DJ Grooves nodded, probably pretending to understand what Hattie just told him. Not that Timmy was judging, of course. He pretended to understand a lot of things daily. “Another timeline? Must have been quite a trip! How have you been enjoying your stay?”

Wow. He acted as if Timmy decided to vacation here. Yes, because that’s what this was. A vacation. He even went to the airport to book a flight.

“One ticket to another timeline, please!” Timmy imagined saying to an airport employee who was sitting at the front desk. “If you could also find a way for me to be attacked by some weird red abomination things, that be rad, dude.”

“I’m sorry, there are no flights available,” the imaginary employee responded. “There is, however, another method of travel. Just hop into that time rift located to your right, and our best employee, Brad, will take care of you.” The employee then leant in closer to him, almost as if they were going to spill a secret. “He’s going to knock you out, and you’ll regain consciousness in a dumpster. You’ll be constantly confused every second you’re in this new timeline! It’ll be lovely.”

In his head, Timmy replied, “Sick! Sign me up right now! Can I leave today?”

Of course, that’s not what happened.

When Timmy snapped out of his airport daydream and realized that DJ Grooves was waiting for his response, he shrugged. “It’s fine, I guess. I’m just a little… confused about some things that are different from my timeline. Also, for a place called Dead Bird Studio, there’s a surprising lack of dead birds here.”

“OHH, THERE’S ABOUT TO BE A DEAD BIRD IF NOBODY HERE EXPLAINS WHAT THE PECK IS GOING ON!”

Everyone in the lobby turned to see… oh, hey! Timmy knew this one! It was one of the Conductors!

Wait…

“Which Conductor is this?” Timmy whispered to Mu.

Her eyes widened. “There are multiple Conductors in your timeline!?”

“Yeah! Walter, Greg, Redd…” Timmy trailed off. “Wait, there’s only one Conductor here?”

“As far as I’m aware of!” Mu confirmed.

Timmy glanced back at the Conductor, who was currently screaming his head off.

Yeah, maybe only having one Conductor was enough here.

DJ Grooves let out a puff of air and rubbed his temples with his flippers. “Conductor, darling. What did we say about kicking down the lobby doors?”

“I DON’T CARE WHAT THE PECK YE SAID ABOUT THE PECKING LOBBY DOORS! THERE’S A WEIRD ALIEN ON ME TRAIN AND IT’S RUINING EVERYTHING!”

Hold on. Could he be talking about…?

One of the penguins sighed. “Old bird alert. Someone needs to take their meds,” he mumbled to himself.

Conductor gasped. “TAKE THAT BACK, YE PECKING—”

“Darling, darling! Stop screaming! You’re going to ruin your vocal cords!” DJ Grooves tried to calm him down.

Considering it seemed like the Conductor was screaming like that from the moment he was born, it was probably too late for his vocal chords now.

“I-it’s true!” An owl entered the lobby doors and nervously walked over to the Conductor’s side. “It was this red, shapeless blob with two antennas and one eye! I-it just started shooting this goo at us, and ate my sandwich!” He sadly gazed down at the floor. “I was really looking forward to that sandwich.”

Timmy pondered over his last comment for a second. “But how did it eat the sandwich if it doesn’t have a mouth?”

“That’s not important right now!” Mu yelled, throwing her hands up in the air.

“No, no. He’s got a point,” Hattie admitted. She then cleared her throat and adjusted her top hat. “But so do you. Alright, Conductor. Lead us to your train! We’ll take care of this anomaly for you.”

“Whoo!” Mu cheered, pumping a fist into the air. “Let’s go take out some bad guys!”

“Bad _blobs_ ,” Timmy corrected.

She waved a hand dismissively. “Tomato, tom-ah-to.”

Upon arriving at the Conductor’s currently motionless train, he led the teens through the back end of the train, or the caboose, as the fancy people liked to call it.

“Where was the blob, Conductor?” Hattie asked, readying her umbrella.

“Ehh...” The Conductor stared off into the distance for a second (wait, did he even have eyes?), presumably trying to recall where he last saw it. “The cafeteria, I think.”

“It’s probably eating all the food,” Timmy theorized. “Typical blob behavior… I think. I don’t know. It probably didn’t even wash its hands.”

“Really, Timmy?” Mu folded her arms. “They can’t wash their hands because they don’t have any!”

“Oh… good point!”

At that moment, the Conductor finally seemed to realize that there was someone unfamiliar to him that has been standing by his side for the past half an hour. Timmy couldn’t blame him, though. It must be hard to see when you don’t have eyes!

The Conductor pointed at Timmy, almost accusingly. “Who th’ peck are ye?”

“Sup, I’m Timmy. I came from another timeline,” Timmy said in a monotone voice, already tired of having to introduce himself to everyone.

Man, he really needed a business card or something.

“Bow found him in the dumpster,” Mu added, much to his annoyance.

Timmy groaned. “Do we really have to say that every time I meet someone? I feel like that detail can be cut out.”

“And miss out on an opportunity to call you Trash Boy?” Hattie gave him a smug grin. “Nah. Sorry, Trash Boy.”

Timmy frowned.

The Conductor cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him. “Well, I’m assuming you three have this under control, eh?”

The three teens nodded.

“Great! Now, chop, chop! This blob is causing me train to run behind schedule, so the sooner you lot get rid of this pest, the better. Now, uh, I just need to-” Before any of them could protest, the Conductor was out of the door, probably choosing to hide from the blob outside.

“Coward!” Mu called after him, shaking her fist.

“Why is it always kids or teenagers that have to save the world?” Timmy grumbled. “Can’t the adults do it for once?”

“It’s fine. The three of us can handle this, no biggie!” Hattie made her way over to the door and motioned for them to follow her. “Come on!”

They made their way through the next car, pushing their way past some owls that were having a nervous breakdown and a few crows who were insistent that Timmy tell them the name of his uncle’s sister. Apparently, “peck off” was an interesting name for her.

When they finally made it into the cafeteria, Timmy took a few seconds to take in his surroundings. To his left was a small bar squished into the corner that was littered with a bunch of wine glasses and bottles. It had a menu above it that he could actually understand this time, but considering one of the drinks on there was labeled “Flaming Giraffe” with the description “self-explanatory” written underneath it, Timmy wished he didn’t. Along the right side of the wall were four tables that led to a vending machine right by the exit. A red, one-eyed, shapeless blob was currently trying to work the vending machine with its antennas, but considering it had no money, no food came out of it. It screeched in frustration (was it screeching from its antennas!?) before hitting the buttons on the machine harder.

The cafeteria actually had two levels to it, seeing as that there were stairs that led to an upper level in the middle of the room. The upper level had small, round tables spread across the floor—

Oh, a shapeless blob!

Hattie quietly led everyone to the bar, being careful not to step on any wine bottles that were carelessly strewn about on the floor. They crouched down behind the counter, peeking over it to see the blob growing frustrated over the vending machine.

She took out a glass, cylindrical tube that was about the size of a water bottle from underneath her top hat. “Okay, so apparently, in order to stop that thing, we need to put it in here.” Hattie unscrewed the lid and gestured to the inside of the tube. “Anomalies like those are weak to this type of glass. If we can somehow manage to shrink it, we can trap it inside of here, and bam! One down, two to go.”

“Wait, that thing is weak to glass?” Timmy poked the tube. “What kind of glass is that?”

“Same type of glass as the window on my spaceship.”

“That doesn’t answer my—”

“How are we supposed to shrink that thing!? It’s huge!” Mu’s voice raised in volume, causing her to be shushed by Hattie. “It’s even taller than Timmy, and you know egotistical he is about his height,” she added, quieter this time.

He gave the girls finger guns. “I pride myself on being tall. It’s one of my many accomplishments.”

Knowing Hattie, she most likely chose to ignore his statement. Instead, it appeared as if she was going through a thousand possibilities in her head while her eyes traced over every object in the room. Then, “Do you think we can shrink it with water?”

Before Mu could say anything, Timmy stood up, only to be immediately pulled down by Hattie, who shot him an icy glare.

“What are you doing!?”

“So, I was thinking,” Timmy started, causing Hattie and Mu to groan, “what’s the point of capturing this thing? I mean, it’s not threatening the space-time continuum or anything, right? Can’t we leave it be? It’s not even hurting us. It’s just vibing!”

He motioned towards the one-eyed creature just as it noticed a half-eaten candy bar by the vending machine. Its antennas twitched in delight as it slid over to the candy bar and absorbed it into its body, causing him to gag.

“Could’ve lived my entire life without seeing that, but alright,” he commented. “Anyway, can’t we just leave and try and find the person who made Brad the twitchy little dude he is today? I get to go home sooner, you guys get to have your date or whatever, and Squishy can just stay on the train and eat! Before you ask, yes. I named the blob Squishy.”

Hattie faltered. “Well, even though I did kinda freak out over not being able to track these things anymore, Timmy actually does have a point. They’re mainly just a result of a lot of magic, and I don’t think their presence is damaging the space-time continuum. I still think we should capture them, but…”

“Are you kidding me right now!?” When Mu realized she was getting louder again, she took a deep breath. “Who cares if it’s not damaging the space-time whatever? There’s always a chance that it could, I don’t know, go rogue and start shooting goo at everyone once it runs out of food!”

Timmy and Hattie stared at her, not having anything else to say.

“Okay, look. It’s an anomaly, yeah? Anomalies are bad. B-A-D. Hattie, isn’t it your self-proclaimed job to get rid of them and keep time safe or whatever?”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing! Look, when you gave me that time piece after… you know,” her voice wavered, but she kept her composure, “I made a vow to actually become a hero and start putting some good into the world! Not because I was angry or desperately seeking justice, but because it was the right thing to do! This thing is causing all of these birds to freak out, and if getting this guy off the train helps them out, we should do it!” There was a fire in her eyes now. She stood up and put her hands on her hips, a determined grin on her face. “It’s the right thing to do,” she repeated.

 _“It’s the right thing to do,”_ Timmy remembered Bow saying when they were in the Subcon Village, _“putting others in front of yourself, that is.”_

Hattie smiled, a big blush coating her face. “You’re cute! I mean, you’re right! Well, both are relevant, I guess.” Hattie hopped to her feet as well. “Let’s do it! Maybe capturing these things can help us understand Brad a little better! We still need to figure out a way to shrink it, though.”

“That’s the spirit! Timmy?” Mu turned to him. “You with us, buddy?”

Timmy glanced back at the blob, the memory of it sucking up the food still fresh in his mind. It was made up of magic! Couldn’t it have magically given itself a mouth for like, two seconds?

Wait a minute.

The blob was made up of magic, yes, but most importantly, it was made up of his magic. Could he somehow… suck the magic out of Squishy? Magic transfer was possible, according to the Moonjumper. The object or creature had to have magic the same as or similar to your own for it to work, but it was doable. Of course, MJ had mainly used it to control a few unwilling dwellers like puppets on a string, but that wasn’t really relevant.

When Timmy had first emerged from the manor, MJ developed a sort of fondness for him. They were both magic users who had fallen prey to the icy claws of Queen Vanessa, and upon learning of Timmy’s abilities, MJ decided to help the boy learn to control his growing magic. So, once a week, Timmy would make his way over to the horizon, and for an hour, MJ would teach Timmy about the basics of magic.

For magic transfer to be possible, there had to be a connection of some sort. But how could Timmy connect to this red, gooey, amoeba-looking creature? All it did was scream and eat.

“Wait a minute, I scream and eat!” Timmy leapt to his feet. “I have an idea so stupid that it might actually work!”

Mu, who was just checking to make sure she brought all of her bombs with her, raised her eyebrows. “Sorry, did you have some sort of revelation over there? We know you scream and eat. I think those are your two main character traits, Timmy.”

“Don’t forget the use of outdated slang,” Hattie supplied. “But what are you thinking, Timmy?”

“I actually might have a way to shrink Squishy! I just have to suck the magic out of him!”

The girls stared at him.

Mu coughed awkwardly. “Like… with a straw, or…?”

“I’ve never said this before, but I think I have a plan, and if we do this right, this all should be over really quickly,” Timmy grinned. “Alright, so…”

Timmy went over his plan, watching with delight when Hattie and Mu agreed to it whole-heartedly and made a few additions of their own. Just after the plan was solidified, Squishy finally turned around and noticed the three standing behind the bar. It let out another screech and shot some goo out of its antennas, causing them to duck under the bar once more.

“Go!” Timmy cried.

Hattie leapt over the bar and fired a projectile out of her umbrella at Squishy, causing it to recoil in pain. It teleported on top of the vending machine while she switched to her sprint hat and dashed towards it. Sensing it was going to be hit again, it teleported to the stairs in the middle of the room, right in front of where Mu ended up.

Mu threw a smoke bomb on the ground, causing the area around Squishy to go all foggy. It began to panic and fire some goo in all directions, which Hattie and Mu managed to narrowly avoid by contorting themselves in awkward positions.

“It should tire out eventually, Timmy!” Hattie yelled to him, motioning for Mu to run towards her.

Mu slid down the railing of the stairs and jumped to Hattie’s side. Hattie opened her umbrella and held it out in front of them, trying her best to shield the both of them from Squishy’s attack. Apparently, alien umbrellas were made out of a stronger material than Timmy’s jacket. Good to know.

After a few goo-filled minutes, it tired itself out. Squishy’s antennas drooped and it started panting. Quietly, Timmy flew in behind it and gently touched the creature with both of his hands, wincing at how slimy it felt. He closed his eyes and took in a few steady breaths.

 _Just think of food, dude,_ he thought to himself. _You literally do this all the time. This should be a piece of cake. Heh, cake._

Suddenly, Timmy felt the blob becoming warmer. Magical energy surged through his fingertips and coursed through his veins as the room filled with a red light. When he opened his eyes, Squishy was sitting in the palms of his hands, looking at everything in bewilderment.

“I did it!” Timmy juggled the blob in between his hands, causing it to let out a tiny screech. “I saved the city!”

“Being a hero feels good, doesn’t it?” Mu made her way over to him and patted him on the back, Hattie not too far behind her.

Hattie set her umbrella down beside her and picked up Squishy with her thumb and index finger. She sprinted back over to the bar and picked up the cylindrical tube, quickly dropping the blob in it and hastily screwing the lid on. It tried to fire some goo to escape, but to no avail.

“You’re right, Timmy that was over quickly,” she finally said. “Too quickly. This can’t be all that there is to it. Isn’t this usually the part where something goes wrong?”

Timmy looked down, noticing that his hands were beginning to twitch. Was he cold? “Hey guys?” The room around him began to spin. “I think sucking up that magic might have given me some side effects.”

Mu’s brow furrowed. “Like what?”

To answer her question in the most effective manner, Timmy passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw a few comments on Timmy's wiki page saying that he's basically just "Aang with hair", so I guess my brain went "Ah, yes. Energy-bending is the solution here," when writing this chapter. Thanks, brain. Also, Bow has the group's brain cell 90% of the time, and since she sat this adventure out, Hattie and Mu were basically playing hot potato with it the entire time. Timmy is only allowed to have it for a little bit, otherwise... well, you saw what happened. He passes out. The poor boy can't handle all of that brain power.
> 
> There's a very strange movie that was made in 1993 called "The Skateboard Kid". I've only ever seen a review of it (by a person who I don't support anymore), but it's just... so weird. There's a talking skateboard?? That can fly?? And nobody explained how that happened?? I feel like Timmy would love the movie because it has that "it's so bad it's good" feel for him. I looked it up on IMDb, and some person put a weird story about Thomas the Train in the synopsis. It was beautiful. Speaking of strange summaries, join us next time on Co-op where Bow adopts a shapeless blob. Yeah, you read that right.
> 
> If you're doing anything or going anywhere next Saturday, have a fun and safe Halloween! Blast some spooky music, eat some candy, and most importantly, wash your hands! You're not a shapeless blob, so you have no excuse. Wash them. This is a threat.
> 
> (Edit 12/8: Guess who found out that DJ Grooves /does/ exist in the alpha?? This idiot!! For all instances and purposes we're just gonna say that Timmy has never been to the moon, so he hasn't really met the penguins. Good? Radical.)


	9. A Thousand Conversations, a Parachute, and an Anchor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks ago, a friend of mine was making a tombstone for a Halloween decoration, and was essentially like, "hey, uh, can somebody give me a name to put on this tombstone??" Me being me, I suggested, "Timmy." The kicker? They used it, and now Timmy has become a bit of an inside joke for me and a few friends, despite them having no idea who he is. RIP Timmy, I guess. I got permission to take the gravestone home with me after the spooky season, but I couldn't find it :(
> 
> I really need to stop being like "haha okay they're not gonna hold hands a lot" because every time I do, they just... hold hands?? Kids, am I right? Anyway, this chapter is a bit more... calmer? I don't know the word to use. More introspective, maybe? What I mean is, we're gonna take a bit of a deep-dive into Timmy's emotions and psyche, and maybe learn a few new things about some other people along the way. Also, I don't know if you can tell, but I really, really, really, really love metaphors and parallels (more like parrot gels hahahaha no seriously that's why my username is parrot gel)
> 
> I also had to split this chapter into two parts, because it got?? Kinda long?? So yeah the thing I said that was gonna happen this chapter will happen next chapter... whoops

Luckily, Timmy was okay. He woke up a few hours after his fainting spell with a little headache, but nothing else, presumably. There didn’t seem to be any visible side effects from the energy transfer, so maybe it was just a result of him doing it for the first time?

Whatever the case was, Timmy was preoccupied with thinking about something else.

The thing about him was that he was never really one to lose track of time. He loved living in the moment and hated when time seemed to slip by for him, even if it was only for a few minutes. He had lost so much of his life from being trapped in the manor, and he couldn’t even remember his childhood— the very thing that so many people looked fondly upon. That’s why, upon being freed, he made a vow to make every moment count, no matter how confusing it was to him.

That’s the reason why Timmy could never understand the phrase “time flies when you’re having fun”. If you’re having fun, shouldn’t you keep track of the time you have left of that fun, and then when that fun ends, create some new fun? The formula of life was obvious to him: enjoy life as much as possible, and always keep track of time so you never lose the rest of the life you have left.

So, it was quite a shock when Timmy woke up one day and realized that he had lost track of time. Just how many days had it been since they had captured Squishy on the train? Better yet, how many days had he been in this timeline for?

He was pondering over this one morning when something strange happened.

Timmy was chilling on the couch, absentmindedly flipping through the channels on the TV when he heard what sounded like giggling from the kitchen. It must’ve been Bow and Cooking Cat making breakfast together. Ever since Bow had opened up about Mr. Director to her mom, CC had been visiting the spaceship a bit more frequently now, wanting to spend at least a couple hours with her daughter each day before heading off to work.

“Mom!” he heard Bow shriek, before giggling once more. “Stop asking me about that. It’s not true!”

CC responded with something that Timmy couldn’t really hear, but it was enough to make Bow shriek again. What could they be talking about? Why did Bow react like that? Most importantly, what were they making in there?

What? Timmy was hungry.

A faint smell of cinnamon drifted from the kitchen to his nostrils, causing him to close his eyes and relax. He pictured CC pulling out a warm batch of cinnamon rolls out of the oven, while Bow excitedly clapped her hands, smiling a big, genuine smile. If Timmy got over his laziness and actually made his way over to the kitchen, he’d make a remark to Bow like, “Those cinnamon rolls are sweet, but not as sweet as you, girl,” causing her to roll her eyes and laugh.

Wait, did he just imply that he wanted to flirt with—

Before Timmy could finish his thought, he opened his eyes and came tumbling out of the kitchen’s trash can, causing CC and Bow to look at him in surprise.

“I just emptied that trash can, and it fills up again,” CC quipped. “I swear, Hattie never told me anything about magic trash cans.” She then met eyes with her daughter and nodded towards Timmy, as if to say, “You’re the one who found him in the dumpster, so go help him get out of the trash can.”

“Hi?” Bow awkwardly waved, before walking over to him and reaching out her hand. “You doing okay?”

Timmy took her hand and let her pull him up to his feet. “Oh, yeah. I’m just, uh, hanging out.”

“…In the trash can?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I do my best thinking here, you know?”

“Weirdo,” she laughed and let go of his hand. “When did you walk into the room? I didn’t hear you enter. Also, why were you in the trash can?”

“I have a really good explanation for all of those things.” Timmy gave her finger guns and grinned. “I don’t know!”

“What?”

“Yeah! It was weird. One moment I was vibing on the couch, and the next, I’m tumbling out of the trash can!” Amazed, Timmy shook his head. “Is that the meaning of life? Just vibing on couches and tumbling out of trash cans until you die?”

“Okay, time to distract you with food!” Bow said, gesturing towards the oven. “My mom’s making cinnamon rolls for us! With marshmallows!” She put her hands on his arms and leaned in closer to him. “I can’t wait for you to try them. They’re so good!”

If there was one thing that Timmy was going to miss from this timeline, it would be seeing Bow genuinely happy. It was like there was a light sparkling in her eyes whenever she truly got excited, and it only seemed to grow brighter and brighter with each passing day. She seemed to be making so much progress, and Timmy was so happy for her. He really would miss her smile.

He would also miss her laugh.

And her hugs.

Okay, fine. He would miss all of her.

The moment was broken when CC began to chuckle to herself as she was taking the cinnamon rolls out of the oven. Bow whipped her head around to glare at her.

“Mom. Don’t.”

CC set the cinnamon rolls on the counter and closed the oven door. “I didn’t say anything, sugar.”

“What’s going on?” Timmy asked, causing Bow to stiffen.

“Uh, well—”

Hattie kicked open the kitchen doors, effectively making everyone jump. “Guess what time it is!?”

“Time for a convenient distraction, apparently,” Bow mumbled to herself, letting go of Timmy. Before he could question her on what that meant, she added, “What time is it, Hattie?”

“It’s time to go to my favorite place on this planet!”

Bow’s eyes widened. “Oh no.”

“That’s right! Guess where our next blob appeared?” Hattie struck a dramatic pose. “The Subcon Forest!”

Mu, who had just entered the kitchen, immediately turned around and walked back out after hearing that.

“Subcon Forest!” Timmy beamed, throwing his hands up in the air. “I’ve been to this timeline’s version before! I kinda know that place!”

Hattie squinted her eyes in confusion. “You have?”

“Back when you kicked him out of the spaceship,” Bow clarified. “The first time, that is. Not when you threatened to throw him out after he was caught cheating at Initial T.”

Timmy let out an offended gasp. “I didn’t cheat! I’m just really good at the game! You’re just jealous because you’re short.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Because you can’t go up to someone and do this.” Smirking, he put an arm on top of her head. “Look! I have an arm rest now!”

“Careful, Timmy. If you keep on doing that, Bow’s not gonna vouch for you the next time Hattie threatens to kick you out,” CC grinned. “Well, she might, actually. She has a soft spot for you, you know.”

Bow grumbled to herself about something that Timmy couldn’t quite hear.

“Alright,” Hattie interrupted, clapping her hands together. “Who wants to bribe my girlfriend with cinnamon rolls so she can join us in the forest?”

Bow immediately pointed to Timmy, who begrudgingly went to go coax Mu out of the laundry room. The bribe was successful, luckily, and the four teens made their way down to the Subcon Forest. Timmy and Mu held on to Bow and Hattie respectively during their descent to the planet, trying their hardest to stifle their screaming.

When they finally landed, Bow turned to Timmy, who was still holding onto her for dear life. “You know, for someone who flies around constantly, I’m kinda surprised that you have a hard time with jumping down to the planet.”

“I can’t really fly that high,” Timmy confessed quietly to her. “At least, if I tried to fly down from your ship to the planet, I’d get really tired and just… fall down below. You and your umbrella keep me from doing that. You’re basically my parachute, Bow.”

“I guess that makes sense.” She put her umbrella away and patted him on the back. “I’ll keep being your parachute, then.”

He let go of her, giving her a fond smile. “Thanks, dude.”

What he told Bow was the truth, but it wasn’t the whole truth. There was a possibility where he could become really tired from flying and just fall, but he could also get too excited by all the beautiful stars surrounding him, becoming lost and distracted in the process. Timmy had never been lost in space before, but he assumed that it was not radical at all. Alternatively, he could get caught up in all of these future possibilities and grow so terrified of losing control that he’d end up, well, losing control.

According to MJ, having too much fear was not a good thing to have as a magic user. Magic was easily influenced by the user’s emotions, and too much of any emotion, positive or negative, could be dangerous to its wielder or anyone else nearby. MJ mainly warned him about fear, though. HK had theorized that he had turned from a prince to whatever he was now due to him not being able to control his emotions, and in turn, his magic.

Magic really sucked sometimes. Timmy loved expressing himself, he really did! He had big feelings and opinions that he loved being able to display, but there would always be a hint of guilt if he felt that he was displaying too much of his emotions, mainly, his nerves.

Of course, Timmy dealt with fear by using the most radical method of them all: ignoring it and keeping himself busy with entertaining activities. Opening up to Bow on that first day was the first time he had ever admitted that he was deeply afraid of something out loud, and even then, he just kinda brushed over it. It felt good to open up, but it couldn’t beat ignoring his problems, right?

Timmy snapped out of his thoughts when Bow gently took his hand and led him to the big tree with the glowing mushrooms. “You’re spacing out on me,” she whispered to him.

“I was? My bad. I was just thinking of parachutes,” he said dismissively.

By the looks of it, Bow didn’t seem to believe him. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted when Hattie caught sight of a certain someone reading in a big, comfy chair.

“Guess what, Snatcher!?” Hattie burst into the opening of the tree, startling the ghost. “I’m back!”

Snatcher let out a long, frustrated groan. “And here I was, beginning to think that you had died. Didn’t I banish you from my forest _four years ago_?” He then met eyes with Timmy and groaned again. “Now there are four of you!? I swear, if there ends up being fifty brats by the end of the year, I will put my entire forest on lockdown.”

“That’s Timmy! He’s from another timeline and Bow found him in the dumpster,” Hattie explained, the last detail making Timmy frown. “And I told you! I got bored of being banished, so now I’m here again!”

“How do you get bored of- ugh, never mind.” He turned to Mu, who was right behind Hattie. “You two kids still a thing?”

Before Mu could respond, Hattie gasped. “You do care about us!” She ran up to him and wrapped him up in a hug, much to the ghost’s dismay. “I knew there was some good in that noodle-like body of yours deep, deep, deep, deep, deep, deep”—she drew in a breath—“deep, deep, deep, down!”

“Ugh, what? No!” Snatcher squirmed out of her grip. “I was just asking because I wanted to know if you realized that love is dead yet.”

“Mmhmm. Sure.” Hattie gave him a smug look. “But since you’re curious, yep! Mu and I are still dating!”

Timmy really liked that there was still some childish wonder in Hattie. It reminded him of when he finally got HK to break out of her shell and show who she truly was around him. Hattie and HK were alike in a lot of ways (obviously), but there was a very big difference between them that Timmy hadn’t been able to pin down until recently.

Although HK enjoyed her time with Timmy and everyone, she still made it clear that she would be heading back to her planet soon. Even if she didn’t say it out loud, you could see it in her mannerisms. Every so often, she would double-check to make sure her time piece fuel was full enough (Timmy may have lost the time piece HK gave to him to beam up to her ship, but that was another story), and she apparently kept in contact with a few people on her home planet. But most importantly, you could see it in her eyes. There was a sense of… uh…

“Quick question,” Timmy whispered to Bow, whose hand he was still holding. “What’s that word called? The one where you have a strong desire to travel or something.”

“Uh… wanderlust?”

“That’s the one! Thank you!”

There was a sense of wanderlust in her eyes that Hattie never had. Hattie seemed so content in this planet, not caring if anyone back at her old home thought she was dead. Why, though? Why was she so happy with staying here?

Snatcher sighed, bringing Timmy back to the present. “Hey, red hooded girl?”

“Mu, actually. You know this.”

“Whatever. Control your girlfriend. She’s doing that stupid dance again.” He pointed to Hattie, who was doing some sort of strange dance that involved waving her arms from side-to-side.

Mu shook her head. “Yeah, I wish I could, but… no. Unfortunately, once she starts, she won’t stop unless she wants to.” She glanced at Hattie for a moment before turning back to Snatcher. “And I don’t think she wants to.”

“Love has made you weak.” With a huff, Snatcher put his book in his lap and met eyes with Bow. “Apparently, it’s made you weak too. You found that boy in the dumpster, kid? Wow, someone’s got low standards.”

Bow nodded. “Yeah, I—” Suddenly, her eyes widened. “Sorry, what did you say about love making me weak? Also, what do you mean by me having low standards?”

Snatcher gestured to her left hand, which was currently intertwined with Timmy’s right. Instead on expanding on that, however, he said, “Well, this has been fun, and by ‘fun’, I mean that this entire encounter has somehow been both the emotional and physical equivalent of getting your teeth pulled out by a chainsaw. Now, are we done here? This book just got good.”

Hattie, who had finally finished dancing, poked his book. “Watcha reading, Noodle Man?”

“How to Kill Teenagers. If you’re not careful, kid, I might start using some of the methods in this book on you!” When Hattie didn’t seem threatened, he frowned and opened his book once more. “Also, don’t call me Noodle Man.”

“Can’t hear you, Noodle Man!” Hattie shot him another smug grin. “But, while we’re here, have you seen this red, shapeless blob around here? It’s got these two antennas at the top that it shoots goo out of.”

Snatcher thought for a moment. “Now that you mention it… the dwellers have been complaining about a disturbance in the village. It might be there. Now, get out and don’t die or whatever.”

Hattie put her hands to her heart. “Aww!”

“I said that because I want to be the ones to kill you myself.”

“I totally believe you… not!” With that, Hattie took off towards the village, giggling all the way.

Mu immediately followed her, mumbling something about how she hated this spooky forest and the “angry wacky inflatable tube man” that lived in it. Bow let go of Timmy’s hand and quickly walked out of the tree as well, not saying anything to him in the process. Timmy was about to call out to her, but—

“Hey, Trash Boy. Come here for a second.”

“My name is Timmy,” he huffed, glancing at Bow once more before trudging over to his chair.

Snatcher rolled his eyes. “Words cannot express how much I don’t care right now.” Before Timmy could make a snarky remark, Snatcher continued. “Look, you and that bow girl are dating, right?”

“Actually, we’re—”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. No offense, but I’d actually rather die a second death than hear about your love life.”

Timmy crossed his arms. “Why’d you bring me over here if you’re just gonna insult me? I could literally get Hattie to do that without even trying. I should know. I’m really good at it,” he said, a hint of pride on his face.

“Good for you. Listen, kid. I need you to swear—”

“PECK!”

“…I need you to swear to me that you won’t do anything to hurt her.”

Timmy blinked in surprise. “Wait, what? I thought you didn’t care about-”

“I couldn’t care less about her, or any of those other brats,” Snatcher scoffed. “But when that hat brat and her mustached girlfriend first started dating, I dreaded the day where either of them would come running to me after a fight in tears, expecting _me_ to make them feel better. Me, the soul stealing ghost!” He put a hand to his chest, looking somewhat offended. “It hasn’t happened… yet, but now that there’s two disgusting couples running about, the chances of a crying child in my forest just increased. I don’t want any of that, so be nice to her, okay?”

“But we’re not—”

“Kid, just swear to me, okay? You know how much of a hopeless romantic she is.” When Timmy gave him a blank look, Snatcher sighed and expanded on his previous comment further. “She watches a bunch of those romance movies where they spontaneously burst into song, and she’s always talking about how nice it would be to fall in love with someone who’s secretly a prince, princess, or some person of royalty, and has the voice of an angel.” He then looked Timmy up and down. “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t have any of those things going for you. That’s good for you, I guess, because all royals suck.”

That wasn’t true, of course, because MJ was a pretty cool dude. Timmy almost brought that up, but stopped himself when he realized that Snatcher didn’t know who MJ was and probably wouldn’t care.

Or maybe he would. Timmy didn’t know this ghost dude well enough to assume.

Realizing Snatcher wouldn’t let him go until he agreed, Timmy uncrossed his arms. “I promise I won’t do anything to hurt her. I care too much about her to do that.”

A smile crossed the ghost’s features for a moment, but when Timmy blinked, it was gone. “Good!” Snatcher said, giving the boy a short nod. “You’re lucky I didn’t make you sign a contract, boy. Those things are eternally binding, after all.” A wicked grin spread across his face before Snatcher pointed to the door. “Now, GET OUT!”

Timmy sprinted out of the tree and met up with the rest of the group who was waiting for him by the entrance. He was questioned for a bit on what Snatcher had said to him, but Timmy shook his head, claiming that it was a story for another time. Eventually, the girls gave up on questioning him, much to his relief.

Their journey towards the village was a surprisingly quiet one. Bow was trailing at the back of the group, presumably lost in thought. She spoke to Mu once or twice, but Timmy couldn’t pick up what they were saying. Timmy wanted to talk to her, but Mu stopped him every time he got close to Bow.

“What’s your deal?” he said after Mu grabbed him by the arm once more. “I want to talk to her!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she responded, leading him away from his bow-wearing friend. “Just give her a bit of space, okay?”

His face fell. “Did I do something?”

“Well…” Mu hesitated. “Not really? I wouldn’t worry about it too much, buddy. Let her think for a bit.”

Timmy frowned, but did as he was told anyway. He chose to catch up to Hattie, who was leading the group to the village.

“Sup, Trash Boy,” Hattie greeted as soon as he fell in step with her. “How you doing?”

Timmy shrugged. “On a scale of one to radical, I’m a solid sixty-nine.”

“…Is that good or bad?”

“To be honest, I don’t really know.”

Hattie rolled her eyes, but let out a short laugh. “So, I’m assuming you’re talking to me because Mu’s not letting you talk to Bow?”

“Yeah,” Timmy sighed. “Hattie, you’re brutally honest, especially when it comes to insulting me. Can I ask you something?”

“Are you giving me permission to insult you?”

“Uh… sure?”

“I’m all ears then!” She clapped her hands excitedly. “What do you want to know?”

“Would it be weird if… would it be weird if Bow and I…?”

Hattie turned to him, a mixture of surprise and curiosity on her face. “Go on,” she urged. “I mean, I might lose the bet if you do, but now I’m interested in what you’re gonna tell me!”

“Uh, well…” Timmy hesitated, looking away from her. “Never mind, it’s stupid.”

“Oh,” Hattie said, sounding somewhat disappointed.

(There was no point in asking, anyway. Timmy knew the answer was a yes.)

It was silent between them for a few seconds. Timmy glanced over his shoulder at Bow, who had her arms wrapped around herself and was staring down at the ground in thought. He thought about trying to talk to her again, but Hattie spoke up before he could make up his mind on whether or not to do so.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but I never really got the chance to ask you,” Hattie admitted, her gaze on the forest in front of them. “What’s the me in your timeline like?”

Timmy put a hand to his chin. “Well, I mean, you two are very similar. It’s almost like you’re the same person!”

“Haha, very funny,” Hattie deadpanned.

“I know, I’m hilarious! Anyway, when I first met HK, she was really quiet. Like, she barely spoke to me,” Timmy said, noticing a flash of understanding in Hattie’s eyes. “I didn’t really mind, though. I talked enough for the both of us. I eventually got her to open up, and she’s been like a sister to me ever since.”

Hattie hummed in thought for a moment. “What was her home planet like?”

“Dunno.” Timmy shrugged again. “She’s going back to it, though. I’m really not sure why she’s stayed so long, but she’s going back.”

An unreadable expression crossed Hattie’s face. “Is she really?”

Timmy made a noise of confirmation. “I think she’s leaving soon. She has been talking with some people from her home planet, after all.” When she finally met his gaze, he asked, “Why aren’t you going back home to yours?”

“I didn’t like it there,” she said simply, folding her arms. “I mean, the academy was fine and all, and I loved learning about time pieces and stuff, but… there was nothing I really liked about the planet itself, you know?”

“I guess,” he said. “Did you come to this planet on some kind of journey from your school too?”

Hattie nodded. “It was a four-month journey. I was supposed to write about a species on another planet and then come back and report my findings, but… uh…” she gave him a sheepish grin, “that didn’t really happen. I guess it’s good that I’m not going back. I didn’t do that essay I was supposed to do.”

“You’re not ever gonna go back? But why? Don’t you belong there?”

“I’m from there, but I don’t belong there, you feel me?”

Timmy shook his head.

Hattie moved closer to him and lowered her volume. “Look, my home planet wasn’t really the best. In my experience, at least. I didn’t really have any friends and my parents were never really around, so I never really knew what it was like to be loved.” Her voice was getting a little wobbly at this point, but she continued on. “But when I came here, I found people who cared for me. People who loved me. I tried to convince myself that this was all temporary and that I had to go, but I just... couldn’t leave. I didn’t want to.”

Timmy put a hand on her shoulder. Hattie gave a small, albeit shaky smile back at him.

“The people here, this planet… I love it all, and I know that it loves me back. I couldn’t leave because I felt, I don’t know, anchored to it in a way. These people are my anchor. This planet is my anchor.” She wiped away the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes and let out an awkward chuckle. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get all emotional on you. I mean, you asked a simple question and I gave you an entire speech!”

“It’s chill, dude.” Timmy patted her shoulder. “I think that’s really cool. Well, sad, but it’s really cool how you found where you belonged and that you have anchors… Huh, anchors. You’re like a ship!” He was quiet for a second, then, “I wonder if I have anchors.”

“Probably back in your timeline, right?” Hattie asked. Timmy didn't have time to reply, because she shouted, “Well, we’re here!” She gestured to the village, then turned back to Timmy. “You know,” she started, “if I end up losing the bet I made with Mu, I don’t really think I’ll care. You’re a great guy, Timmy.”

Right when Timmy was going to ask what the bet was, Mu came to Hattie’s side and stared at her in concern.

“You alright?” Mu asked, grabbing her hand. “Your eyes look a little red.”

Hattie rubbed her girlfriend’s knuckles. “With you here? I’m always alright.” She looked around the village for a moment before her eyes landed on three pons that were floating on the grass in front of her. Hattie bent down and grabbed them with her free hand, giving one to Timmy and Mu each. “Let’s make a toast!”

Mu blinked. “With pons, Hattie? You sure you’re doing alright? Has being around Timmy made your IQ drop?”

“Hey!” Timmy glared at her. “I don’t make people’s IQs drop, I make them lose brain cells. Know the difference!”

Hattie held up her pon. “We’ve all come from different places, and I’m sure we’ve all had hardships,” she began, paying Timmy’s comment no mind. “But we’re all here now, and I know for a fact that we’re all loved, no matter how weird or chaotic we all are.”

“Hear, hear!” Mu hollered.

“This toast is in our honor,” Hattie continued. “We’ve all come so far, and I know that we’re only gonna keep on getting better from here,” she beamed, squeezing Mu’s hand. “To growing, changing, and most importantly, being loved.”

“To growing, changing, and being loved!” Timmy and Mu cheered.

The three teens touched their pons together for a toast, giggling to themselves all the while. Timmy almost drank his pon, but realized that he couldn’t do that and got a little sad. He was going to tell the others of his stupidity, but the sight of Hattie and Mu gazing at each other was enough to make his breath catch in his throat.

There was nothing but love and sincerity for the other in both of their eyes, and a fond expression was painted on each of their faces. Mu stepped closer to her girlfriend and wrapped her up in a hug, to which Hattie instantly returned.

“I love you,” Mu whispered. “Thank you for motivating me to change.”

“I love you too,” Hattie whispered back. “Thank you for being my anchor.”

Mu chuckled. “I don’t know what that means, but sure.”

If there was one emotion that MJ had regarded as more dangerous than fear, it was love. He had always told Timmy that it was a wonderful feeling until it ended, and warned Timmy of the negative consequences love could give him. Timmy never really paid attention to those lectures, though. He never really cared about being in love or having someone love him. At least, until he came to this timeline. Now, he was wondering what it would be like to be in love. Would it be as scary as MJ said it would be, or would it be exactly like those romance movies Bow had made him watch?

Bow...

Wait.

Oh no.

It was at that moment when Timmy realized that Bow was nowhere to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that after four years of these kids annoying him, Snatcher is just so tired of them, but cares nonetheless. He tries making threats like he used to, but everyone knows that they don't hold much weight. Also, yes. Snatcher did give a very similar speech to Mu before she and Hattie started dating. I didn't want to make Snatcher quite a "father figure", so to speak, but I also didn't want him to be outright antagonistic towards them, seeing as he's had a while to deal with these brats. I tried to aim for a sort of medium between the two, so I hope I accomplished that.
> 
> Fun fact: the Moonjumper wasn't really going to be this important in this fic. I would make a passing reference to him every now and again, but he wouldn't really influence the plot a whole lot, let alone Timmy's psyche. Sometime in May or June, however, I had a dream where he had basically adopted Timmy and they were shopping in a grocery store, so I was just kinda like... "well, I guess he's important to the fic now".
> 
> When we see somebody in a different light for the first time, it's like meeting them all over again. You notice little details that you haven't noticed before, and it's almost like you're interacting with a whole new person. It's funny how a simple realization can change so much about an interaction or relationship. I find it quite fascinating- after all, one of my favorite quotes is "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." -Anaïs Nin.
> 
> Okay so I should post the next chapter either tonight or tomorrow so uh join us next time for the thing that I said was gonna happen last time


	10. A Million What-ifs, a Bow, and a Sense of Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday, for a community service outreach project, a few people and I were making some birthday cards for some kids. I badly messed up on my "Y", so I said something like, "I ruined my Y! How did I mess up on a Y!? Now it's all weird and I can't fix it!" The person who was sitting next to me, goes "you can always say that this card's from Timmy." I laughed and said fondly, "yeah, Timmy would mess up on a Y. That seems like the type of thing he would do." She agreed.
> 
> She was, of course, referring to the Timmy joke from Halloween, but I can't help but get the feeling that she knows more than what she lets on.
> 
> Anyway, here it is! The Subcon Blob Part 2: Electric Boogaloo. Special thank you to my friend who helped me describe the archway because I am Not Good at describing things-

Timmy’s heart rate sped up as his eyes darted around the village, instinctively tensing up at each ice block that crossed his vision.

_Oh no oh no where was she—_

What if she got hurt? Bow could take care of herself, yes, but the Subcon Forest wasn’t exactly the safest place on the planet. Timmy wasn’t sure if he’d be able to forgive himself if Bow got injured, or worse…

What if Queen Vanessa got her?

What if she’s…

No. She couldn’t be dead. She couldn’t. She wasn’t! He was just jumping to irrational conclusions again. Besides, Timmy didn’t even get to say goodbye to her.

(Timmy didn’t even _want_ to say goodbye to her.)

“Bow’s not here,” he finally spoke, causing Hattie and Mu to separate from their hug.

“What!?” Mu yelped. “I was literally just talking to her! Well, before the toast, I mean.”

Hattie took out her umbrella and glanced around at their surroundings suspiciously. “Maybe we should split up and look for her? She’s probably still somewhere around here.”

“Uh, excuse me?” Mu looked at her like she had eaten another fork. “No offense, but no! Bad idea! Horror movie 101: do not split up in a spooky forest!”

“This isn’t a horror movie!”

“Not a horror movie? Uh, hello?” Mu gestured to the village. “Spooky abandoned village in the woods inhabited by ghosts? A blob monster is out to get us? One of us went missing?” She folded her arms against her chest. “I don’t know about you, but this entire situation screams low-budget horror movie.”

Sensing that this conversation was doing them no good, Timmy took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

 _Okay, think,_ his brain tried. _You’ve been in the village before, so you kinda know what it looks like. Plus, Bow couldn’t have gone far. She hates the Subcon Forest! Using your very limited but still radical knowledge, where could Bow have gone? What do you remember about this place?_

The first time they went to the Subcon Village together, Bow had told him to stay in her line of sight at all times, so she could help him out if he got into any trouble. She kept a very keen eye on him, watching as he talked to a few dwellers and bounced on a couple of big, glowing mushrooms.

However, as soon as Bow started spacing out, Timmy had immediately run off.

He remembered walking alongside the large river at the heart at the village, his curiosity practically begging for him to see where it led to. An old cobblestone archway covered with dirt and grass stood at the river’s end, connecting the two sides of the riverbank together. Icy stalagmites were attached to the top and sides, their faint glow and cold aura sending a chill down his spine. It probably led to the Subcon Well or whatever, but Timmy didn’t really stick around there to find out.

He, of course, had instantly power-walked away from that icy archway.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing right by the archway, about two inches away from a stalagmite. Timmy quickly jumped away from it and fell to the floor, letting out a very unmanly shriek. He then cleared his throat and struck a radical pose, just in case if anyone was watching him.

Gotta stay cool, baby.

Hang on, how did he get here!? Did he teleport?

Wait…

“I can teleport?” Timmy looked at his hands in shock. “I’ve never been able to do that! How’d that happen?”

Of course, nobody answered his question. He was alone, after all.

But not for long.

A faint rustle came from the other side of the riverbank, causing Timmy to leap onto his feet and get into a battle stance. He was greeted with another blob; this time, it was a two-eyed one. It seemed slightly shorter than Squishy, and didn’t appear quite as hostile… or hungry. In fact, it looked pretty calm, as if it was just taking a nice little stroll through the woods. The blob was seemingly searching for something in the cluster of stalagmites near it, so Timmy decided to use its distracted state to his advantage.

Timmy flew over the river and quietly landed behind the blob, creating a lilac energy ball in his left hand. This should be easy. All Timmy had to do was stun it, shrink it, and then find—

A bow?

There was a single blue headband with a bow attached to it lying on one of the stalagmites. A happy gurgle escaped the blob as it used its antennas to levitate the object over to it.

_Oh no._

Now, Timmy was never one to assume the worst, but the situation didn’t look too good. Her headband was there, but she wasn’t. Why wasn’t she there? Did the blob do something to her? Why was her bow by all of this ice?

Why was Timmy’s heart beating even faster now?

“Where is she?” he asked, surprising himself when the question came out a lot shakier than he expected.

The blob turned around to face him, confused.

“Where is she?” Timmy repeated, his hands beginning to tremble. “Where is she and why do you have her bow?”

It didn’t answer. The blob backed away from him, almost guiltily.

No. No, this wasn’t happening. There was no way… right? This was all just a big misunderstanding. It had to be! Bow was fine. She was okay. She wasn’t gone. It couldn’t have been true.

But the evidence was right there in front of him.

 _Don’t give into your fear,_ his brain reminded him. _Remember what happened to MJ? Don’t let it happen to you. Don’t lose control. Don’t give into your fear._

“No. You didn’t. You didn’t kill her. She’s still here. She’s still okay. Right? Right?” Unbeknownst to him, the ball of magic in his left hand got bigger. “You didn’t… did you?”

No response.

_Is she… no, she can’t be, right? She can’t be… she isn’t… she can’t be…_

If she wasn’t dead, then where was she? She never went anywhere without her bow. Even if she had to take it off for whatever reason, she would always keep it within her reach.

There had to be another explanation. There had to be!

Or maybe… this was all just him denying the truth. What if she was truly gone? What if she was really dead? What if she… what if…

_Don’t give in. Don’t give in… don’t… give in._

The lilac ball slowly started to turn red as his breathing got heavier. Magic began to coarse through his veins at a pace faster than he was used to, causing his head to feel like it was spinning. His face markings felt like they were on fire—were they glowing?

Timmy met eyes with his reflection in one of the stalagmites, seeing that his face markings were indeed glowing.

But they were glowing red.

Choosing to pay all of that that no mind, Timmy gritted his teeth. “You.” Timmy took a shaky step closer to the blob. “YOU KILLED HER!” He shot the energy ball at it, causing it to let out a tiny screech.

The blob weaseled its way around Timmy and started to hastily scoot away from him, shrieking all the while. Timmy immediately flew after it, blindly shooting red blasts of magic towards it.

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY!” he cried, his voice growing more distorted with each syllable.

Timmy felt like he was slipping, but he didn’t know what he was slipping away from. Himself? Was he slipping away from himself? Was he losing himself?

Was he losing control?

Timmy chased the blob through the outskirts of the village, his vision slowly getting redder and redder. They eventually neared the back of the village, where the creature passed a black, vine-covered iron fence. It skidded to a halt when it discovered that the only thing in front of it was a steep-looking chasm surrounded by fog.

Dead end.

For the blob.

It stared at the chasm at in horror before slowly turning to a currently unhinged Timmy, who landed a few feet in front of it. It tried to show the bow to him, seemingly trying to snap him out of his crazed frenzy. It didn’t work.

Timmy was, indeed, losing control.

He could barely breathe. Just how tight were his lungs getting? It felt like he was being suffocated by the magic that was bubbling painfully in his chest and clawing at his heart. The energy coursing through him weighed his whole body down with each step closer to the blob—no—this _monster._ Tears streaked down his face as he charged up a vermillion beam in his trembling hands.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye,” he sobbed, his voice still distorted. His body began to twitch, causing the magic in his beam to grow slightly more unstable with each inch it got bigger. “YOU TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME!”

Timmy was about to fire the beam when someone darted in front of the blob, their arms stretched protectively. He couldn’t really see who it was over the beam, but—

“TIMMY!”

That voice. Was that…?

“Bow?” Timmy said shakily. “Is that you?”

“Yes, I’m okay! Diffuse your magic and look at me, please!”

There was a chance that this was all a hallucination. He might’ve just misheard the faint rustling of the wind as her voice, or mistake the outline of a dweller flying by for her jumping in front of this thing, but…

What if it was really her? Did he jump to a conclusion too quickly? There was always a chance that he was wrong about her dying.

He so desperately wanted to be wrong.

Deciding to obey, he closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, willing the unfired laser beam to disappear. The twitching subsided and he fell to his knees, the simple act of recalling his magic taking way too much out of him than it should have. When he opened his eyes again…

There she was.

The blob nervously levitated the headband over to her, to which she happily accepted and put back on her head. She gave it a friendly nod before turning back to Timmy, who was staring at her in disbelief.

Bow was alive.

She slowly crept over to him, not once breaking eye contact. “I’m okay,” Bow said once more, giving him a soft smile and kneeling down in front of him. “I’m right here with you.”

Timmy lunged forward and wrapped her in a tight hug, a few more tears escaping him. “You’re okay,” he sniffled, holding her even closer. “I thought I… I thought you… I was so _scared,_ Bow.” His voice was returning back to normal now, much to his relief.

Bow returned the embrace, rubbing his back soothingly. “I’m okay. You’re okay. We’re both okay, Timmy.”

His heart rate began to slow down with each second he was holding onto her. The sensation in his face markings died down as the magic buzzing in his veins started to flow at a calmer, more normal pace. She was right; they were okay.

Still, Timmy couldn’t believe that he had almost fully given into his fear and lost control of his magic—the very thing that MJ had always warned him not to do. According to his friend, the whole process of magic consuming its user was impossible to escape without any lasting side effects.

So, why was Timmy fine?

Bow pulled away from the embrace just enough to look at his face. “Hey,” she whispered. “Are you doing alright?”

“I don’t know,” he responded, wiping a few stray tears away with his sleeve. “I’m really sorry, Bow.”

“What for?”

“I almost lost control of my magic! I’ve always been told not to do that, and that’s like, the one rule I’ve ever followed. But now? I almost broke it, all because I’m so stupid and I thought you died! I mean, what kind of person jumps to that conclusion immediately!? I’m such an idiot.” Reluctantly, he let go of her and bit his lip, not wanting any more tears to fall. “And when you jumped in front of that thing, what if I didn’t get rid of my magic? I could’ve…” Ashamed of himself, he looked away from her. “I could’ve hurt you,” he murmured quietly.

“You were just scared, Timmy. You’re not an idiot for worrying about me.” Bow reached up and cupped his face with her hand. “Also, you didn’t hurt me.”

“I could’ve.”

“But you didn’t.” Gently, she stroked his cheekbone with her thumb, effectively getting him to relax a little bit more. “I’m positive you never will, because I’d like to think I know you pretty well. You’re a sweet boy, and I know you won’t hurt me, because… well, I know you care about me, and I trust you more than you’ll ever know.”

Timmy met her eyes once more. “I’m not a sweet boy, I’m an edgy boy,” he mumbled.

“Okay, whatever you say,” she giggled, causing Timmy to smile. “Whatever type of boy you are, I want you to know that I care about you a lot, okay? You won’t hurt me.”

“But what if I do?”

“Then I’ll forgive you.”

Deep down, Timmy was still so petrified. If he ever fully lost control, there was no telling what could happen to him or anyone nearby. If he hurt anyone, if he hurt _her..._ he knew he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. In fact, if that happened, he shouldn’t even be forgiven by anyone.

“If I hurt you—”

“Which you won’t.”

“Right, but if I did, why?” he questioned. “Why would you forgive me?”

“Because, like I said, I care about you,” she stated simply, as if this was an obvious fact—nondebatable and proven many times. “If you ever ended up hurting me, I know it wouldn’t be on purpose. I would forgive you, no questions asked.”

Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to convince her not to forgive him (he wouldn’t deserve it, why couldn’t she see that?), Timmy sighed. “Alright, I believe you,” he lied. Deciding to shift the topic, he asked, “Where did you go? Why did you run off earlier?”

Bow removed the hand from his face as her expression turned to that of a shy one. “I ran off because I was thinking about something,” she confessed. “I don’t know if I’m ready to tell you what it is yet, but it was honestly kind of a lot to process. I can tell you this, though.” She took both of his hands in her own. “My bow brings me comfort. It was the only thing that my birth parents left with me, and when I put it on, it feels like that there’s at least a part of them that still cares about me, no matter how useless I think I am—uh, I mean, thought I was.”

“Bow…”

“But there was something else that was bringing me even more comfort. I was a little confused on why, though. I thought to myself, ‘okay, if I get rid of the bow for a little while and think of the other thing that brings me comfort, this should give me the answer. If the mere thought of it is enough to make me feel safe in this dangerous forest, then I’ll know that they’re right’.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “Who’s they?”

“Mu, my mom, Snatcher…” She trailed off and glanced down at their intertwined hands. “They were right. They were all right. I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.”

“Right about what?”

“BOW! YOU’RE OKAY!”

Bow and Timmy turned to see Hattie running up to them. She tackled the still-sitting Bow into a hug, causing her to chuckle. Not long after her, Mu ran up to her and joined the tackle hug as well.

“Hattie was crying because she got scared,” Mu said, holding onto Bow tightly. “If we found you, she made me promise not to tell you that, but I’m going to anyway! Hattie was crying!”

“Mu!” Hattie glared at her. “Wanna play dirty? Fine. Bow, Mu was crying too! She was worried about you!”

“So were you! We both care about Bow here!”

“Aww, you guys…” Bow gave them both a soft smile, hugging them both back. “I’m okay. I just got lost in the woods for a bit, but I found my way back. Anyway, look at what I found!” She pointed to the shaken-up blob who Timmy had forgotten was still standing there. “I found one! And guess what? He’s friendly!”

Hattie looked at her weirdly. “Really?”

“Really!” Gently, Bow pushed the girls off of her and stood up. She gestured for the blob to scoot away from the chasm and towards her. In response, its antennas twitched.

Timmy’s heart rate picked up again. _Oh no, oh no, oh no—_

The blob looked at her cautiously, before it slid over to her and nuzzled itself into her hand. Bow gazed at it fondly and began to pet it.

Timmy let out a sigh of relief.

“See?” She turned back to them, still petting the creature. “Marshmallow is an absolute sweetheart!”

“Marshmallow?” Hattie groaned. “Thanks, Timmy. Now you got Bow naming things.”

“We have more important things to worry about, like you!” Mu pointed to Timmy, who blinked in surprise. “You never told us you could teleport! Care to warn your friends next time before you go disappearing in a spooky forest?”

Timmy brought himself to his feet, ignoring the aching sensation he felt… well, everywhere. “I didn’t even know I could teleport until today, so don’t blame me, dude.”

“Wait,” Bow removed her hand from Marshmallow and glanced at him in shock. “Since when have you been able to teleport?”

Suddenly, Hattie gasped. “Blob! Train!” When no one understood what she was saying, she added, “Timmy! You! Suck!”

He hung his head in shame. “Aww.”

“No, she’s not saying you suck. That’s Hattie speak for, ‘I just had a realization, but I don’t know how to explain it yet’.” Bow clarified, patting his arm. “Right, Hattie?”

“Yes! I think I get why Timmy can teleport all of a sudden! It’s all because of Squishy!” she grinned, the explanation making complete sense to her.

Bow and Mu, however, looked at her blankly.

“Oh, I get it! I understand something!” Timmy cheered, punching the air triumphantly.

Mu raised an eyebrow. “Do you really?”

“Yeah! These things are made up of my magic, sure, but guess what else they’re made up of?”

Bow’s eyes widened in realization. “Time piece magic, and—”

“Someone else’s magic!” Timmy finished, beaming at her. “When I did the energy transfer, that person’s magic must have accidentally went over to me, which gave me—”

“The ability to teleport!”

“Oh, great, now they’re finishing each other’s sentences,” Hattie grumbled.

Mu put an arm around her girlfriend and smirked. “Sounds like someone’s gonna lose the bet! Scared, Hattie?”

Hattie scoffed. “As if!”

“Can I ask what the bet is?” Bow queried, albeit a little nervously. “I mean, all of your bets are weird and sometimes downright concerning, but this one kinda seems like it involves me.”

Before Hattie or Mu could respond, Timmy made his way over to Marshmallow. It let out a little shriek and hid behind Bow.

“What are you doing?” Trying to reassure it, Bow began to pet Marshmallow once more.

“Energy transfer,” Timmy said. “Gotta do it to each of the blobs.”

“Even this one? Marshmallow’s not hurting anyone.”

“That’s what I said about Squishy, but then Mu gave this entire speech that probably made Hattie fall for her even harder than she already has, so, you know,” Timmy shrugged. “Point is, it’s just a precaution.”

Bow hesitated. “I don’t know. Timmy,” she lowered her voice slightly, “I don’t know if you should be putting all of this magic in you. I mean, what if all of this magic makes you… you know? Something like what just happened a few minutes ago?”

Timmy folded his arms. “I thought you said you trusted me.”

“I do! I just don’t want you to get hurt!”

“I don’t want you to get hurt either! Remember? Literally the whole reason I went berserk?” When Bow didn’t say anything else, Timmy frowned. “Look. I think part of the reason all of that happened was because this other person’s magic was reacting badly with mine. Maybe if I get more of the unfamiliar magic in me, it’ll cancel each other out, or something!”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Magic isn’t supposed to make sense.”

Bow thought for a moment, but then huffed and crossed her arms as well. “Fine. I don’t understand how this all works, but whatever. Do what you must.” To Marshmallow, she whispered, “It’s okay, sweetheart. Timmy’s not gonna hurt you, okay? He’s just gonna make you a little bit smaller.”

Sweetheart? How come that thing got a pet name?

Bow moved out of the way, giving Timmy free access to the blob. He put his hands on the slimy creature, making a face when he noticed that it flinched at his touch. He needed to get this over with quickly, before Marshmallow had enough of him and ran away once more.

Timmy tried thinking of food like he did with Squishy, but nothing happened. Just how was he supposed to connect to him?

Bow raised her eyebrows. “Well?”

“Look,” he sighed. “I get that you’re upset, but—”

“No, I’m not upset. I’m not upset, because…” Bow glanced at Hattie and Mu for a bit, realizing that they were watching her and Timmy’s every move. For a moment, it seemed like she wasn’t going to continue with what she was about to say, but she shook her head and marched back over to him. “You’re my comfort, okay? You were the first person to ever ask how I was doing, and even when I told you that I was fine multiple times, you got the truth out of me, and you listened to me. You let me cry in your arms and didn’t judge me at all. You make me feel so safe!” She took his right hand off the blob and intertwined it with her left. “If anything bad happened to you because of all of this magic, or worse, because of me, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

He stared at her in disbelief. “But I’d forgive you.”

“I know! That’s why I’d forgive you if anything happened to me, because you would do the exact same if I were in your position,” she stated firmly. “I don’t understand anything about magic, but I’d like to think that I understand you. I’d forgive you because you’re my comfort, and I want to provide you with that exact same feeling of security that I feel whenever we do this”—she gestured to their hands—“or whenever I’m just simply around you!” She took one more step closer to him, then whispered, “You’re my comfort, Timmy.”

For a minute, Timmy didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know that he meant that much to Bow at all! He thought that Bow only saw him as that weird boy that she found in the dumpster a while back. Maybe he didn't understand what she meant by that entire speech yet, but the fact that he meant so much to her, the fact that he was her comfort- it filled him with a feeling that he had never felt before. It filled him with…

It filled _him_ with comfort.

“You’re my comfort too, Bow,” Timmy breathed, squeezing her hand.

At that exact second, he felt Marshmallow becoming warmer. Magical energy surged though his veins once more as the area around them began to glow a bright red. Everyone shielded their eyes, choosing not to become blind just by merely staring at a blob for too long. When the red light finally subsided, Timmy looked down to see a tiny Marshmallow staring right back at him. It was about half as tall as Bow’s boots, and Timmy had to admit that it was almost adorable.

Almost.

As Marshmallow began to hop around Bow excitedly, the lightheaded feeling came back, causing Timmy to stumble back. Immediately, Bow let go of his hand and grabbed onto him, gently lowering him towards the ground.

“You okay?” she asked once she sat him down.

“With you? Always,” Timmy smiled, before laying on his back. “I’m gonna take a nap now, if you don’t mind.”

Bow laughed. “Okay, weirdo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timmy: YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!  
> Marshmallow, crying: I don't even know who you are??
> 
> Bow definitely had to be the one to realize that there was something between them first. She's smarter. It may not be too big yet, but it's there, and she sees it. Also, fun magic fact from your girl: the taller you are, the more magic that can be stored in your body. However, this doesn't mean that taller people are more powerful- it actually means that they run a higher risk of having too much magic in their body, which can result in them being corrupted, losing control, yada, yada, yada.
> 
> ...What do you mean you "can tell that a short person wrote this fic"?
> 
> Anyway, there's been a lot of angst lately, yeah? Yeah. These kids need a vacation, and oh! What do you know? They're gonna get one! That's right, dear readers! Join us next time on Co-op where the kids all go on a cruise and everything is fine :)


	11. What Kind of Life am I Dreaming Of?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cooking Cat is the best mom, and you can pry that headcanon from my cold, dead hands.
> 
> Anyway, since I already have an essay in the ending author's note, I'll just say this here. Be safe during this upcoming holiday season! Wash your hands. Again, you're not a shapeless blob, so you have no excuse. Also, editing Parrot here one month later, thank you to my friends who helped me shape this chapter. Thank you two for dealing with my panicky rants <3
> 
> Alright! Now it's time to Blue Skidoo into Bow's perspective again.

“So, Bow? I have a question to ask. Are you—”

Bow sighed, her eyes darting everywhere in the laundry room to avoid looking at her friend in the eyes. “No, Mu. For the thousandth time, Timmy and I are not dating.”

“Well, that makes absolutely no sense at all!” Mu huffed, hopping on top of the dryer while remaining conscious of the plate she had grabbed from the kitchen. “I mean, you practically confessed to him back when we were in the Subcon Village, and it’s pretty clear that he feels the same way, so what’s stopping you!?”

Bow took out her currently damp cat jacket from the washing machine. “It wasn’t a confession.”

“Wasn’t a confession!? You literally gave an entire speech about Mr. Trash Boy making you feel so pecking safe, while holding his hand and gazing into his eyes, mind you, and you have the _audacity_ to tell me that it wasn’t a confession!?” Mu angrily picked up her fork and pointed it at Bow. “At this rate, I’ll be old by the time you two actually do something about your feelings. Literally!” To emphasize her point, she took a bite of the leftover birthday cake that CC had made for her a few days prior. “I’m seventeen now. I’m practically a grandma!” she said with a mouthful of chocolate frosting.

“To be fair, we do that a lot.” Yawning, Bow turned off the washer. “Hold hands and tell each other how important we are to the other… I’m not helping my point, am I?”

Mu shook her head.

Bow sighed again, wanting nothing more than to end this conversation and go to bed. “He’s leaving soon. What’s the point in doing anything if it’s just gonna end?” Bow walked over to her and poked her arm. “Please get off the dryer. I need it. Also, why are you eating cake in the laundry room?”

“Because cake can be eaten any time at any place. That’s a fact.” Mu took another bite. “Also, everything ends eventually if you think about it, so just take a chance and be with him during the time you have left together!”

“I am with him, I’m just not… _with_ him, you know?” Bow poked her arm again. “Off. Please.”

Bow didn’t really know why she admitted to Timmy that he was her comfort (she assumed it was something that happened in the heat of the moment), but she was glad that she made him feel safe as well. He was still in the dark about what the implications of her speech meant, and had asked her a few times on what Mu, CC, and Snatcher were right about. Instead of answering, however, Bow would always just awkwardly laugh and race off, abruptly ending whatever conversation they were having.

“I just hate the whole… ‘will they, won’t they’ concept. It’s so stupid! We all know how the story ends, right?” When Bow didn’t answer her, Mu put her plate in her lap and continued on. “The evil is defeated, the love interests kiss, yada, yada, yada, happily ever after, the end.”

“Our story isn’t like that.” Bow held onto her jacket even tighter, watching as a few droplets from it fell to the floor. “It ends with him leaving and going back to his normal life, and forgetting about me, because I’m…”

_Unimportant._

Bow took a deep breath. “I’m not a part of his timeline,” she finished, trying desperately not to fall back into her old ways. “You and Hattie were betting on whether or not Timmy and I would end up together, right? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you lost. Please just drop it, Mu.”

“No! I don’t want to!” Mu put her plate beside her and hopped off the dryer. “This isn’t even about the bet anymore, Bow! I’m saying all of this because I care about you and I want to see you happy, alright? That being said, this whole mindset of yours isn’t helping much.”

Bow blinked. “What do you mean?”

Mu put her hands on Bow’s arms. “Ever since I met you, it always seemed like you had trouble speaking up about your feelings, or at the very least, accepting them. When you and Timmy started getting closer, however, you’ve become a lot more open about your emotions, and that’s great! I’m proud of you, Bow!” She shot her friend an encouraging smile. “But in my experience, there’s a lot more to a person than feelings. We have wants, needs, thoughts, desires… I think you need to start thinking about what you want, not what you think you’re gonna get.”

“What I want? But what I want isn’t…”

_Important?_

“…Really the main issue here.” Bow looked away from her.

“Okay, look. Do you remember what you told me when I finally admitted to you that I liked Hattie?”

Bow put a hand on her chin. “Hmm… ‘I knew it’?”

“Well that, but you also told me that the only reason I had trouble accepting my feelings for her was because I was expecting rejection, and you were right! I didn’t want to think about my feelings for her because I thought she would shun me for the rest of my life if I confessed, but guess what?” A fond look had overtaken her face at this point. “I eventually got over my insecurities and told her how I felt, and now, I have the cutest, smartest, and surprisingly, most dangerous girlfriend on the planet, and I couldn’t be happier.”

“Wait.” Bow scrunched her face up in confusion. “Wasn’t Hattie the one to admit her feelings first? Even then, both of you were too stubborn to confess, so I had to lock you two in a room together and threaten to start blaring showtunes from the spaceship’s speakers if you didn’t—”

“The point is”—Mu waved a hand dismissively—“I realized that I wanted to be with her and stopped focusing on the possibility of rejection.”

Bow weaseled out of Mu’s grip and made her way over to the dryer. “That’s great and all, but what does that have to do with me?” she asked, handing Mu her plate full of half-eaten cake.

“I’m asking you what you want. What do you want, Bow?”

She thought for a moment, before replying, “Sleep!”

“I meant in relation to your feelings for Timmy. What do you want?”

Bow opened the lid to the dryer. “What do I want in relation to my feelings for Timmy?” she repeated. “I don’t know, but I’d really appreciate it if we just moved away from this topic for now.”

Mu looked like she wanted to say more, but instead closed her mouth and nodded. “Alright, I’ll drop it. I’ll leave you with this, then. If you knew that there was a possibility that Timmy could understand the implications of your speech, but believe you can’t be together with him because he’s leaving, then why did you give it? Why did you say he’s your comfort?”

Bow didn’t give a response. She instead put her jacket in the dryer, watching as her favorite article of clothing (well, besides her bow) began to tumble around the machine. “I’m not sure,” she finally mumbled, turning back to Mu and shrugging pitifully. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be! Nobody said that all of this feelings junk was easy. Just think about it, okay?” Mu patted her shoulder. “You’ve got this. Good night!” After Bow gave her a friendly nod, she walked out of the laundry room, leaving Bow alone with her thoughts.

As soon as the doors shut behind Mu, Bow slowly sunk to the floor, her back against the dryer. She drew her knees into her chest and began to hum softly to herself in an attempt to cheer herself up, wincing at every note she fell flat on or couldn’t quite hit.

 _You’re emotional right now, so the notes aren’t going to come out perfectly,_ she tried convincing herself. _It’s okay. You’re okay._

Still…

“Are you alright, dear?”

Bow looked up to see her mother in front of her, holding a laundry basket full of the kids’ clothing. “Mom!” She immediately sat up in shock. “I didn’t know you were here. Don’t you usually come by in the mornings?”

“I do, but something told me that I should drop by here before turning in for the night.” CC put the laundry basket down and sat beside her. “Was that an original you were humming?”

“Yeah.” Bow stared at the tiled floor, tracing along the edge of a square with her finger. “I’m still working on it, though. It’s not finished at all.”

“Well, I think it sounded beautiful, sweetheart,” she smiled, wrapping an arm around Bow. “Now, tell me. What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine, Mom.”

CC raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

“Okay, I lied. I’m not fine,” Bow mumbled, scooting closer to her mom. “It’s just… I’ve been thinking. In all of those movies that I watch, you know the love interests are gonna get together. No matter what comes their way, you know that their love is strong enough to withstand any obstacle, and by the end of the movie, they’re singing together in perfect harmony, right? But what happens when…” Bow took a breath to steady herself. “What happens when there’s no happily ever after? What happens when love isn’t strong enough to withstand everything? If love is meant to make people happy, why does it end?”

CC was quiet for a minute. She glanced around the room in thought before her eyes landed on Bow once more. “Deep down, we all know that love is a gamble,” she said, rubbing Bow’s arm. “Yes, there is a chance that it can end, perhaps sooner than we want it to, but that’s what makes it so special. Once you get ahold of someone that you love, that makes you feel so safe—you never want to let them go, because a love like that is so rare. That’s why, no matter if the love in question is platonic, familial, or romantic, all creatures want love. It’s in our nature.”

It fell silent between them again. Bow considered speaking up, perhaps to change the topic to something a bit more light-hearted, but was interrupted by a simple question escaping CC’s mouth.

“You love him, don’t you?”

Bow froze in surprise for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh. “I am not ready for that question,” she simply said, burying her head into her mother’s fur. “Besides, we’ve only known each other for a short while. Love takes time, right?”

“Well, if love followed a strict schedule, we’d be able to predict when we’d fall in love. But isn’t not knowing when it’s gonna happen the fun part?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Bow responded. “There’s just nothing fun about this right now.”

“I know, sugar. I know.”

They stayed like that for a while, the warm embrace and faint purring coming from CC causing her to drift off. The hug reminded Bow of when she was a lot younger and had a nightmare. She would tiptoe through their apartment, all the way to her mother’s bedroom, and tap CC’s shoulder after a few moments of hesitation. Without even asking or saying anything at all, CC would shift over on the bed, giving Bow permission to crawl in and fall asleep beside her.

When Bow got a little older, however, CC got busier, and moments like that faded. She didn’t feel comfortable enough to go to her former babysitter, Johnny, for things like that, so she settled for holding onto her pillow, pretending it was her mom giving her comfort.

Sometime around when Bow moved into Hattie’s spaceship, this habit of hers changed slightly. Thanks to all of those movies Bow became obsessed with, its connotation shifted to a romantic one. She’d always imagine someone holding her tightly, telling her how much they loved her and how important she was to them. Then, they’d gently kiss her forehead as she drifted off to sleep, making Bow feel so safe, secure, and loved.

Whenever she woke up, she’d eventually realize that there was no one in her arms, and a feeling of loneliness would wash over her. She’d always make a vow to herself not to slip into that daydream again, since the lonely feeling she felt would always grab onto her heart and not let it go until late in the afternoon. She, of course, would always break that promise a little while later, and found herself slipping back into that lovely fantasy as her eyes fluttered shut. She couldn’t help it. The imaginary feeling of being held by someone who loved her was too alluring to give up.

Was that why Bow always closed her eyes whenever she was hugged by—

A gasp escaped her as she awoke with a start, sending a few pillows from the pillow fort tumbling to the ground.

Wait, when did she end up in the bedroom?

Looking down, Bow realized that her jacket was carefully laid on top of her as if it were a blanket. She glanced around the room for a moment, hoping that there would be someone there to explain how she ended up in the pillow fort. However, when she didn’t see anyone, she frowned and slipped on her jacket.

Bow made her way to the main room, being greeted with Hattie, Mu, Timmy, and CC standing by the anomaly detector. They were chatting amongst themselves, and were all holding… suitcases?

When Hattie noticed her standing by the door, she smiled and waved. “Good morning, Bow!”

“Um, hi?” Bow walked over to her and gestured to the suitcases. “What’s all of this?”

“According to this thing, our next and final blob is somewhere around the cruise!” Hattie pointed to an exclamation point on the radar screen. “It’s the same one where we met, actually.”

Bow raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think it’s the exact same one. Remember? The S.S. Literally Can’t Sink _literally_ sunk?”

Hattie laughed nervously. “Oh, yeah! I forgot about that. Icebergs, am I right? They’re so…”—a serious expression crossed her face for a moment—“…inconveniently placed.”

As soon as Bow blinked, Hattie’s serious expression was gone and had been replaced by her normal smile, although it seemed a lot more forced and nervous.

“I’m telling Mu you sunk a ship,” Bow jokingly whispered to her, giving her a mischievous smirk.

“If you do, I’m telling a certain trash boy that you wanted the burger plush in the laundry room,” she whispered back, folding her arms. “Your taste is atrocious, and I think we should let him know.”

Bow narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.”

They glared at each other for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles, thoroughly confusing anyone who was trying to listen in on their hushed conversation.

Hattie playfully nudged Bow with her elbow before turning to the rest of the group. “Okay, so the cruise lasts for about a week, so I was thinking that after we capture the blob, we could just, I don’t know, finally chill for a bit?”

“I like the sound of that!” Timmy cheered, causing a tiny grin to form on Bow’s face. “Timmy’s finally getting his vacation! Radical!”

Before Bow could respond to his comment, an unfortunate realization struck her.

Timmy was afraid of ice.

And they were going to a cruise that was practically _surrounded by ice._

Peck.

“Here you go, hon,” CC said, snapping Bow out of her thoughts. “I packed your stuff for you already. I think I got everything you need, but just double check to be safe.” She handed Bow a dark green suitcase.

“Thanks, Mom,” Bow responded, noticing that her voice was wavering a little bit. “You’re coming with us?”

CC nodded. “Hopefully, the ship won’t sink this time, right y’all?”

“Anyway!” Hattie clapped her hands together. “We should get going. After all, this anomaly isn’t gonna take care of itself!”

“Hold on a second. How are we all gonna fit through the hatch with our suitcases? Better yet, how are we gonna hold onto you and Bow while handling all our stuff?” Mu asked.

Hattie blinked. “Uh… Huh. I didn’t think about that.” She pondered on Mu’s comment for a minute before shrugging. “Oh, well. Down the hatch we all go!”

After a very chaotic and downright terrifying descent to the planet, they all luckily made it to the dock in one piece. Sure, they were all screaming the entire way down (she could’ve sworn that Timmy started reciting his will at one point), but they were all safe, and that was what mattered.

“You know what I just realized?” Hattie said as soon as they landed. “Bow and I could’ve made multiple trips. We could’ve dropped you guys off and came back for the stuff.”

“You realized this now!?” Mu shrieked, still holding onto her girlfriend in fear. “I literally saw my entire life flash before my eyes multiple times, and you’re just now realizing that we could’ve prevented that!?”

Before Hattie could respond, CC put a hand on Mu’s shoulder. “It doesn’t matter now, sugar. At least we’re all alright, yeah? Let’s just get checked in.”

Mu grumbled, but nodded nonetheless.

The cruise looked about the same as the one Bow went on about four years ago. In fact, it was an exact replica of the S.S. Literally Can’t Sink, the only main difference being a big _“2.0”_ written in red marker right next to the ship’s name.

Even if the ship wasn’t the same one, Bow didn’t really care. It felt the same. The briny smell of the ocean, the faint music coming from the ship’s speakers, the incredibly complicated walkway that you somehow had to get across in order to get on the cruise… it all brought her back to when she met Hattie for the first time.

CC had bought cruise tickets for Bow’s twelfth birthday, and Bow was absolutely ecstatic to get away from the metro and spend time with her mom. At the same time, Bow was a little hesitant. Things had the tendency to go wrong for her a lot, especially considering that this cruise took place about a week after the, ahem, incident, but surprisingly, the cruise was actually relatively normal and quite calm.

Well, for the first ten minutes.

After Bow had spotted a girl with a top hat running around collecting pieces of glass, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Bow offered to help her out, of course, but for some reason, the girl was extremely hesitant. She never fully explained to her what was going on until Bow saw a time rift for the first time, and that’s when Bow learned that the girl (who she later nicknamed Hattie) had been hurt and betrayed so many times because of these time pieces.

Right then, Bow vowed to be the friend that Hattie never had. After all, Hattie just seemed so… alone. It looked like she needed someone to rely on, and Bow made the decision to be that person for her.

It was one of the best decisions Bow ever made.

Over the years, her and Hattie had grown so close, to the point where they were proud to call each other their sister. Bow was so incredibly thankful to have Hattie in her life, and even though her negative thoughts disagreed, she knew Hattie felt the same way.

Her twelfth birthday was, as Timmy would put it, radical.

Oh, Timmy. That absolute weirdo.

OH WAIT THEY WERE ON A CRUISE SURROUNDED BY ICE—

“Hey,” Bow tapped Timmy’s shoulder as soon as they made it to the reception desk. “I need to tell you something.”

“Wait, hold on. Watch this!” Timmy held his hand out towards the flowerbed to the left side of the desk, and a small, pink tulip became enveloped in a lilac hue as it slowly floated over to him. He snatched the flower out of the air and grinned. “Pretty cool, right? I’m like a magician now!”

“Implying that you weren’t before?” Bow tilted her head in confusion. “You’ve been doing magic ever since I met you.”

“…You got a point,” Timmy muttered. “Anyway, I discovered I could do this a little while ago. I think it came from me absorbing Marshmallow’s magic, but unlike the teleporting thing, this feels… right? Natural? I dunno.”

Bow hummed in thought for a second. “Maybe the magic from Marshmallow unlocked a hidden ability of yours, instead of giving you new powers, like Squishy did.”

“That makes sense! See, this is why you have the group’s brain cell,” he complimented, handing her the flower. “For you, my dude.”

“Aww, thank you!” Bow accepted the tulip and playfully tapped him on the nose with it. “You know, for a not-sweet boy, this was a pretty sweet thing to do,” Bow teased, causing Timmy to look away from her nervously. Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization. “Wait a minute, you distracted me! Timmy, the cruise—”

“Yup! You guys awe totawwy on this wist!” A seal sitting on the left side of the desk chirped. He was wearing a green coat, bowtie, and tiny hat. The seal looked like an adorable little bellhop, making Bow’s heart melt at the sight.

CC looked at the seal weirdly. “Are you sure? We didn’t book any tickets or anything.”

“Well, accowding to my computew, you guys awe all thewe!” The bellhop seal gestured to his computer, which was currently on the blue screen of death. “Hewe awe youw woom keys!” The seal handed all of them a key card.

Well, almost all of them.

Mu examined what she was handed before looking at the seals suspiciously. “This isn’t a room key. This is a piece of cardboard cut into a tiny rectangle.”

“Oh, whoops! Sowwy about that. Sometimes I get confused between woom keys and cawdboawd!”

“How?” Mu asked. “How do you mix those two up?”

“They’re trying their best,” Hattie whispered to Mu before the seal could respond. “Besides, you can’t stay mad at that adorable face!”

Mu folded her arms. “Watch me.”

Hattie poked her girlfriend’s cheek. “Aww, someone’s being a grumpy-pants!”

“I think this seal is out to get me,” Mu grumbled in reply.

“Hewe you go, miss! One woom key!” The seal smiled, handing her a tiny fish skeleton.

Mu stared at it, appalled. “Dude,” was all she could say.

“Okay, while that’s going on, hey, Timmy? I need—” Bow turned to her left, realizing that Timmy was nowhere to be found. “Great. Cool. Awesome,” she said sarcastically. “I take my eyes off of him for five seconds…”

CC took Bow’s suitcase and patted her arm. “I’ll take your stuff. You can go ahead and look for him, hon.”

“Are you sure?”

“He’s practically your responsibility at this point,” CC laughed. “Plus, even if I didn’t take your stuff, you’d still run off to find him.”

“Fair enough. Thanks, Mom! Love you!” Bow waved at her before sprinting off.

Deciding to backtrack, Bow made her way to the upper pool deck, politely excusing herself past three penguins who were having a hushed conversation on the wooden beach chairs.

“It’s a shame that the hat girl doesn’t like to sing and dance,” one of the penguins said, absentmindedly snapping their fingers. “If the boss doesn’t find someone to star in his movie, this whole project of his could go down the drain.”

“I heard that he might be doing auditions soon if none of us step up to take the part,” the second penguin added.

“You really think he’d find someone willing to star in a movie musical?” The third penguin asked, adjusting their fedora. “Who even likes those?”

The first penguin shrugged. “Dunno.”

Bow momentarily stopped in her tracks for a moment. Even if the last year of her short-lived career wasn’t the best, she still missed acting a lot. Maybe she could…

She shook her head. Better focus on finding Timmy.

Bow ran all the way to the very back of the upper pool deck, only being greeted with a few empty tables and chairs. The tables were decorated with blue and white checkered tablecloths, matching the icebergs of all shapes and sizes that were floating around the ship.

No sign of Timmy. No trash cans either.

Just as Bow was about to leave, a bubbling noise came from the water below her. She ran over to the ship’s railing, watching in horror as a red, shapeless blob emerged from the ocean. Its antennas twitched as its three eyes stared her down, causing her heart rate to speed up.

“No. I don’t like that. Please go back into the ocean,” Bow pleaded. “Or, at the very least, can you give me, like, five more minutes? I’m looking for my friend, and—”

The blob screeched, prompting her to cover her ears in pain.

That probably was a no.

“Well, I can’t do anything about this thing, but I can’t leave it,” Bow said to herself, glancing nervously at some of the passengers who were a little ways away from her. “What do I do!?”

The blob fired some goo out of its antennas, just narrowly avoiding the boat. The projectiles hit the water with a hiss, causing some steam to rise up from the ocean due to the two substances reacting. It teleported to a nearby iceberg with a flat top (weren’t those called tabular bergs or something?) and screeched once more.

If it wanted to get closer to her, there was a chance that it could teleport to the ship and terrorize all of the passengers. The last thing Bow wanted was to see all of these innocent people put in danger again, and plus, she knew the Walrus Captain would be absolutely destroyed if another cruise of his got ruined.

So, the only other option was to go towards it and attempt to deal with this herself.

Gulping, Bow quickly made sure her hookshot badge was on her bow and took out her pink umbrella. She angled her umbrella towards the tabular berg and fired her hookshot at it, flinching at how a few cracks formed in the ice as a result of the impact. She shakily hoisted herself to the top of the railing and took a deep breath.

“Let’s hope this doesn’t backfire in my face,” she whispered.

Bow jumped off the railing, launching herself straight towards the creature. She landed against the side of the iceberg with a thud, sending a few chunks of ice falling into the freezing water below. With a grimace, Bow pulled herself up to the top of the berg, being greeted with a blob that didn’t look too happy to see her.

The creature practically towered over her, and although she only interacted with two of these things, she could tell it was the biggest one, which most likely meant that it was the most powerful.

She was dealing with the most powerful blob all by herself.

Great.

Wasting no time, Bow hastily equipped her projectile badge and fired a laser from her umbrella at it, watching as it recoiled into itself in pain, trembling. As soon as her projectile beam recharged, she fired another beam at it, thoroughly expecting it to attack her immediately afterwards. Only… it didn’t?

The blob just sat there, twitching.

“Uh…” Bow lowered her umbrella slightly. “Aren’t you, uh, supposed to attack me? I mean, I’m fine if you don’t, but… you just looked a little angry, so I expected you to, you know, attack?”

No response.

Bow took a step closer to the shapeless blob. “Are you okay?”

The blob looked up to see her approaching it. It let out a shriek and began to fire some more goo, but instead of directing it towards her, it instead fired its projectiles haphazardly, like it was… unstable? Losing control?

Afraid?

Bow opened up her umbrella and held it over herself, choosing to pretend that this was nothing more than a mere rainstorm, and that she wouldn’t disintegrate upon being touched by this… acidic substance.

“Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking,” the Walrus Captain’s gruff voice sounded on the ship’s loudspeakers. “The ship will be leaving the port in five minutes, so make sure you’re on board. Otherwise, you will get left behind.”

And now she had a time limit to defeat this thing. Double great.

As if the announcement brought the blob back to reality, it stopped its attack and began to twitch once more. A few whimpers escaped the creature as it recoiled into itself again.

Was it just lashing out because it was scared?

Bow hesitantly closed her umbrella and put it away. She then slowly crept over to the blob and held her hands up in surrender. “I’m not going to hurt you,” she said softly when it noticed her moving towards it. “You don’t want to fight me, and I don’t want to fight you. You’re just scared, aren’t you?”

Gently, she put her hands on the creature’s slimy body. It stared at her for a moment before it gurgled happily, prompting Bow to let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

“There you go. It’s okay,” she hummed, petting the thing. “You’re not a bad blob. You’re a sweet one, just like Marshmallow, right?”

The blob’s twitching subsided as it made a noise of contentment.

“Yeah, you are,” Bow smiled. “Now, let’s go back to the ship, okay? My friend’s just gonna absorb your magic, but—”

“NO!”

Bow froze, her eyes widening and her blood running cold. Did that thing just… speak?

“TOO MUCH MAGIC! TOO MUCH MAGIC!” the blob shrieked, its twitching coming back. Its voice was high-pitched and screechy, yet incredibly distorted, almost like—

“Attention passengers,” the Walrus Captain announced over the intercom. “The ship will be leaving in three minutes, so hurry up and get on if you haven’t already.”

“It’s okay! It’s all right. The energy transfer won’t hurt,” Bow attempted to reassure the blob, glancing nervously at the ship. “It’s the only way we can assure everyone’s safety… I think. I have to get you on board. I have to get my friend to absorb your magic.”

“ABSORB BAD! ABSORB BAD!”

Bow didn’t know what to say. She needed to get the blob on board and get Timmy to absorb its magic, but at the same time, she was extremely hesitant. There was just something about the whole energy transfer process that she didn’t quite trust, and nothing about this entire interaction was convincing her otherwise.

“Attention passengers. One minute,” was all the Walrus Captain announced.

“I don’t know what to do,” Bow confessed. “I don’t like the thought of him absorbing all of this magic, but I’ve been told that he needs to do this, so… can I please take you to the boat? I promise this won't hurt you.”

The blob looked between the ship and Bow for a moment before hanging its head in defeat. “Story ends like this,” it said before teleporting itself onto the boat.

“Wait, what?”

A bright red light came from the upper pool deck, causing Bow to shield her eyes to avoid going blind. Instantly after the light subsided, the ship’s foghorn sounded, and the boat began to slowly pull away from the harbor. Not wanting to get left behind, Bow fired her hookshot towards the pool deck’s railing and propelled herself back to the boat. As soon as she made it on the other side of the railing, she was practically tackled in a hug, courtesy of Hattie.

“You did amazing, Bow!” she beamed, squeezing her tightly. “You managed to calm that thing down and get it to teleport itself here, all in the span of like, what? Five minutes?”

“Aww, thank you! I honestly don’t know what happened, but it happened really quickly. Too quickly.” Bow returned the embrace and patted her back. “Is the blob okay, though?”

Hattie let go of her, pulled out a cylindrical glass tube, and pointed at the now tiny blob that was inside of it. “It’ll be fine.”

“Oh, good,” Bow sighed in relief. “Where’s Mu?”

“She’s with CC. Mu’s still trying to get her room key,” she giggled. “I love those adorable seals, but they shouldn’t be trusted to help run a cruise.”

Bow laughed. “I don’t think anyone on this planet should be trusted to help run a cruise. Especially you.”

“Fair enough, Miss ‘I Want the Burger Plush in the Laundry Room’,” Hattie smirked. “Also, if you’re looking for a certain someone, there he is.” She pointed to a currently unconscious Timmy, who was sprawled out underneath one of the tables. “We found him talking to some fish guy outside the casino when an owl came running from the pool deck, screaming about some red mutant thing. When we got here, we saw you talking to the blob, so I asked Timmy to shrink it, but…” Hattie trailed off, throwing a cautious glance in Timmy’s direction. “He just… froze up? I don’t know. He looked kinda scared of something, but he wouldn’t tell me what. It was only when the blob teleported here that he sprung into action.”

Bow met eyes with the tiny blob in the glass tube, remembering how terrified it was at the thought of being shrunk down. But why? What did it know that she didn’t?

“I don’t think the energy transfer was a good idea,” Bow said, turning back to Hattie. “I mean, Timmy loses consciousness every time he does it. I just don’t think it’s safe for him.”

“We didn’t have any other options.” Hattie poked the tube, watching as the blob jumped in surprise. “Timmy is the only one who knows about all of this magic stuff, so we just gotta trust that he knows what he’s doing, even though he never knows what he’s doing. The whole energy transfer thing is just basically a gamble at this point.”

Maybe she was right. There was a chance that the blob could’ve just been telling her all of that as a way to trick her into letting it run free so it could cause chaos among the ship. Besides, everything had a consequence, so maybe his fainting spells were just a temporary side effect of this whole ordeal?

Bow’s gaze landed on Timmy, a wave of guilt washing over her. He didn’t get that vacation that he wanted, and she felt bad that she couldn’t warn him about the ice in time. In fact, his entire situation must have been extremely hard for him. Ever since he arrived in this timeline, he was faced with a new challenge practically every day. Whether it was figuring out how to get home, fighting freaks against nature, or dealing with Hattie’s wrath after he got caught cheating at video games (to be fair, that last one was on him), he never really got a day off from all of this stress.

He never had a day where he could just have fun.

“Hey, Bow? I’ve been thinking,” Hattie suddenly spoke, snapping Bow out of her thoughts. “The whole… comfort speech. Why’d you give it?”

“I wanted him to know how much he meant to me,” she shrugged, turning her gaze to the ocean.

“But that’s not the real reason, right?”

Bow was quiet for a minute, before responding, “I don’t think I know the real reason, Hattie.”

“Can I guess?”

“Shoot.”

“You want him to stay.”

Wide-eyed, Bow whirled around to face her. “Sorry?”

“You want him to stay,” Hattie repeated, as if this was obvious. “You told him, because deep down, you thought that if he knew how much he meant to you, whether he understood the implications or not, he’d choose to stay here with you.”

When Bow didn’t respond, Hattie wrapped an arm around her, and they both turned back to the sea, watching as the dock grew further and further away from them.

“You’re right,” Bow eventually admitted, placing her hands on the railing. “I finally have someone who makes me feel so safe, so secure, so _loved—_ and I have to let him go, but I don't want to, Hattie. I know the whole 'if you really care for someone, you'll let them go' saying or whatever, but I don't want to. I want him to stay.” Her grip on the railing got tighter, almost to the point where it was painful to hold on. “I know, I know. It's selfish, right? We have to say goodbye eventually. There's no point in trying to change how this story ends.”

“You are not selfish for wanting that, Bow. You not wanting him to leave just means you care about him a lot!" Hattie stated firmly. "Yeah, maybe you have to let him go, but it's okay to be sad about it. It's not a bad thing to want him to stay, alright? If I were in your position, I’d want him to stay too!” She was silent for a second, then, “Peck, I'm not even _in_ your position, and I still don't want that boy to leave. Whether he likes it or not, he's become a part of this strange family that we've all made. He can't escape that, no matter how many timelines he is away from us.”

Despite herself, Bow chuckled. “Thanks, Hattie. I needed to hear that.”

“Hey, what are best friends for? I got your back, Bow."

"And I've got yours."

Even if he didn’t stay, Bow would always cherish the time they had together, both the good and the bad. She would miss him, of course, but she knew that he would always be with her, and she’d always be with him. After all, she was slowly learning how to accept and love herself because of his help, and she would do her best to comfort him through his fears.

Actually, speaking of which…

“Hey, Hattie?” Bow met eyes with her once more. “Even though this cruise just started, it already hasn’t been fun for Timmy. Since we’re gonna go back to trying to figure out how to get him home after this, I was thinking… can we do something special in the meantime? Something to make this cruise fun for him?”

Hattie grinned. “Let’s do it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bow stop adopting the shapeless blobs challenge-
> 
> Everybody asks, "where's the blob?" and not "how's the blob?" The answer is... well, I don't know, but they all seem to like Bow for some reason?? Weird. If I ever forget to mention it, this blob's name is (wait for it) Bob. Shout-out to my friend in musical theatre who named all of the blobs. She has no clue what she contributed to whatsoever. Anyway, the amount of ice research I had to do for, like, two whole pages of this chapter was kind of insane, but now I know what tubular bergs are and what the difference between them and ice shelves is! Yay??
> 
> If you were curious, Timmy and Mu are both 17 while Hattie and Bow are 16. Also, sinking a cruise ship and wanting the burger plush in the laundry room are both equally horrible crimes in the AHiT universe sorry I don't make the rules-
> 
> I honestly felt quite bad for all of these kids suffering practically every chapter. I was debating on whether or not I should make a more light-hearted chapter that didn't really add too much to the plot, but considering everything that's happened and is going to happen, I just went "eh, why not? I'm not THAT heartless!" So, join us next time on Co-op where the lyrics from "Dancin" (you know that one song/meme that's associated with Hat Kid's smug dance?? yeah, that's the one) somehow apply to the chapter.


	12. Local Trash Boy Finally Realizes the Obvious, More at Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you wonder where I've been~
> 
> Oh, hey! I'm back! Writing this chapter took a little bit longer than I wanted to because I wanted to fully figure out exactly how to write it. I'm not a big fan of writing filler chapters, so I wanted to come up with a way to give these characters a bit of a break while still maintain some plot threads. There's a lot of angst up ahead, not gonna lie, so I just wanted these kiddos to smile, for like, four seconds. I do apologize if this chapter's a little lackluster because of this, but once I got out of my head and began to write the final draft of this chapter, I had a lot of fun, so I hope at least one joke gets you to smile :D Also, fun drinking game (with energy drinks): take a sip every time the word "radical" appears in this chapter. Please drink your energy drinks responsibly.
> 
> Okay but it /is/ a little sad in the beginning (and end kinda) so don't attack me
> 
> This is kinda unrelated, but there are so many people in my personal life who make Timmy jokes despite not knowing who the peck he is... I guess he's just easy to make fun of Idk

To be completely honest, Timmy didn’t really pay attention during MJ’s magic lectures sometimes.

Of course, that wasn’t implying that Timmy didn’t like his training sessions with his friend. He was just more passionate about learning how to fire energy blasts and beams than hear some anecdote that vaguely related to the lesson at hand. MJ liked to talk a lot, and sometimes the words or phrases he said didn’t make sense.

It was always stuff like “those who succumb to fear become their greatest adversary”, or “fear will be your enemy, and death its consequence”, or “Timmy, for the last time, today’s lesson is not about lighting the Subcon Forest on fire. Please put the match away, you’re scaring the dwellers, and most surprisingly, myself.”

There were times when Timmy wished he was paying attention, though.

Not that he would ever show it, but he was beginning to think that the energy transfer process was a bad idea. Ever since he had woken up from taking Bob’s (yes, he named the three-eyed blob that) magic a few days ago, a bunch of doubts were plaguing his mind, and it really didn’t help that the blob kept repeating the phrase “absorb bad” when Bow was talking to it. He could’ve sworn that MJ had given him some type of warning or tip on the whole absorption process, but unfortunately, Timmy was thinking about skateboards and not listening to him.

Curse his very small attention span.

Opening his eyes with a huff, Timmy flipped over on the bed, grimacing at the time displayed on the alarm clock perched on the nightstand beside him.

“3:14 AM?” he read aloud, rubbing his eyes. “Great. Cool. Awesome. I love not being able to sleep. It’s my favorite thing to do,” Timmy mumbled sarcastically.

Despite desperately wanting to go on this cruise and have a vacation, things haven’t been, well, radical. Aside from what seemed like thousands of icebergs surrounding the cruise, his magic had been acting up recently, which made him hesitant to see if he had gotten any new powers from the blob.

His nerves had increased a lot over the past few days, however. Maybe his new power was crippling anxiety! Thanks, Bob!

Deciding to test his magic again, Timmy held his hand out towards a water bottle sitting on the floor beside the bed and willed it to come to him. It slowly lifted off the ground and became enveloped in a lilac hue, much to his joyful surprise. He almost let out a sigh of relief, but was stopped when the lilac hue began to turn red and the water bottle started to twitch. Groaning, Timmy let go of his telekinetic hold on the object, watching as it landed on the floor with a thud.

“This is stupid,” he groaned to himself, squirming out of the covers. “Stupid powers. Stupid cruise. Stupid room with no TV!”

Although sleeping on a nice bed was infinitely better than the couch, the room that the reception desk gave him was a little boring for Timmy’s taste. All it had was a twin-sized bed pressed against the leftmost wall, a nightstand next to it, and a tiny bathroom with a leaky sink. The room was painted a deep shade of purple, which made the area seem a lot smaller than it actually was.

Basically, the room kinda sucked.

Letting out another huff, Timmy stomped over to the bathroom, almost tripping over the water bottle on the way there. “And the Radical Timmy said, ‘let the light shine down upon his radicalness’,” he narrated, flipping on the light switch as soon as he stepped foot in the room. Immediately, the bright lights that flickered on began to scorch his poor eyeballs, causing a few after-images to appear and for him to stumble back in shock. “And then the Radical Timmy said, ‘peck that!’” he yelped, fumbling to turn the lights off.

As soon as darkness filled the room again, he let out a sigh of relief and turned on the sink. Deciding that tonight was going to be an impromptu all-nighter, he splashed some water in his face, wincing at how much got in his eyes and how icy it felt against his skin. He turned it off with a groan and felt around the sink blindly for a towel. When he couldn’t find one, he reluctantly used his pajama shirt that CC had given him a little while back.

Honestly, his pajamas were the best part of this entire cruise, which was kinda sad, considering they had nothing to do with the cruise at all. He was wearing a gray shirt with the word “radical!” written on it in a purple vaporwave font and a pair of comfy black sweatpants. Upon receiving this gift, he had jokingly remarked to Bow that he was CC’s new favorite child now, to which she playfully rolled her eyes at.

He had managed to get a laugh out of her, though, so that meant he got two gifts for the price of one!

When he opened his eyes again, he noticed a note written in crayon in place of where his towels should’ve been. Seeing nothing better to do, he picked it up and began to skim its contents.

_“Sowwy, mistew! We wewe supposed to wash the towews, but we accidentawwy set them on fiwe! We twied to put the fiwe out with mowe fiwe, but it just wuined evewything! Now thewe is fiwe evewywhewe! Pwease don’t tell the Captain! Sowwy again! :(”_

Slightly annoyed, Timmy shook his head. “Well, they can take away my towels, but they can’t take away my radical attitude! No fire can put that out, because I am the fire!” he grinned, giving his reflection finger guns. “…Right?”

It might’ve been because it was dark and he couldn’t see his reflection properly, but Timmy could’ve sworn that his face markings were red for a second. However, when he blinked, they were the normal shade of blue again.

“Oh, who am I kidding?” Timmy grumbled, dropping his finger guns. “I’m on this stupid cruise in this stupid bathroom at 3 AM talking to myself. No radical dude does that! Am I even radical anymore? Have I become… _sad-ical?”_

Seeing as the only answer he got was the water dripping from the leaky faucet, Timmy decided to head back to his bed and just… stare at a wall, or something, seeing as he couldn’t sleep. As soon as he took a step out of the bathroom, though, a soft knock came from the door.

A knock? At this hour? Well, that could only mean one thing…

The radical police were here to get him.

They must have sensed that Timmy was losing his radicalness and came to take away his radical license! That meant that he couldn’t legally be a radical dude anymore! He was going to go prison with all of the jaywalkers and loiterers! What’s a Timmy to do!?

The knock sounded again, a bit louder this time.

“You’ll never take me alive, radical police!” He grabbed the water bottle off of the floor and held it out in front of him defensively. “Once a radical dude, always a radical dude! …I hope. No law can keep me from that!”

“What? No, weirdo. It’s me. I want to show you something!”

Cautiously, he stepped closer to the door. “Hmm… you _sound_ like someone I really care about, but how do I know this isn’t a trick? Quick, if you’re really who you say you are, what’s your name!?”

A gentle, yet exasperated sigh sounded from the other side of the door. “Timmy—”

“That’s not true! _I’m_ Timmy!”

“…Okay, is your door unlocked? I’m just gonna come in.”

“NOOOO—”

The door opened, revealing Bow, who was giving him a tired, albeit amused smile. She was wearing a set of matching light green pajamas with ruffles on the sleeves and a pink cat sewn onto the top.

“Oh!” He lowered the water bottle. “It’s you!”

Bow nodded. “Yeah, I…” She trailed off, a concerned expression crossing her face. “You seem… exhausted. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I guess. Just couldn’t sleep, is all,” he shrugged, tossing the water bottle back on the floor. “What about you? What brings you here during the Gamer Hour?”

She faltered. “The Gamer Hour?”

“Oh, you know! Lots of gamers are usually up at 3 AM, so that’s why it’s called the Gamer Hour!”

“Are you talking about the Witching Hour? Do you mean the Witching Hour?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so.” He looked at her weirdly. “Witches don’t play games at 3 AM. I should know.”

_“How?”_

“Uh.”

Before Timmy could figure out a very sophisticated and highly educated response to her question, she playfully rolled her eyes and stepped out further into the hallway. “I want to show you something, but we have to move quickly before it’s gone!”

He raised an eyebrow. “Show me what?”

“It’s a surprise! Come on!” She held out her hand towards him. “Do you trust me?”

At that moment, Timmy was faintly reminded of a movie about magic carpets and lamps Bow made him watch a little while back. “I do trust you, but if you force me into a musical number, I’m gonna jump off the boat. No offense.”

“None taken. That’s on the agenda for tomorrow, anyway!”

“Oh, good!” Timmy went over to her and took her hand. As soon as he shut the door behind them, he realized what she just said. “Wait, what?”

Bow instantly took off running, dragging Timmy behind her. Startled, he let out a very suave and totally manly shriek, but ended up being shushed by her in the process.

“Be quiet! People are sleeping!”

“Well, how am I supposed to run quietly with you dragging me like this!?”

“Figure it out!”

“Oh, sure,” Timmy mumbled. “Leave it to the guy who almost never has his turn on the group brain cell to figure that out.”

Bow sighed, but didn’t say anything in response.

When they arrived on the upper deck (which Timmy assumed was their destination), Bow lead him to the railing and gestured to the sea surrounding them with her free hand. “Here it is! I wanted to show you it before it went away.”

“The ocean?” Timmy squinted his eyes in confusion. “Uh, Bow? I don’t know how to tell you this, but we’re on a cruise. The water’s not gonna go anywhere.”

“No, not that. I was referring to the view! See?” She motioned to the sea once more. “Not a single iceberg in sight. There’s nothing but the sky and the sea!”

Bow was right. The water was strangely devoid of any icy demons, making the view… actually quite pretty. The moonlight shone brightly onto the ocean, making the waves that were calmly lapping against the boat seem like they were sparkling. Hundreds—no—thousands of stars surrounded them, their gentle glow adding to the peace and tranquility Timmy was feeling.

“Why’d you show me this?” he whispered.

“I, uh, felt bad.” Bow let go of his hand and glanced down at the floor, seemingly avoiding his gaze. “I mean, even though we were here on… business, I guess, it’s still a cruise, and cruises are supposed to be fun! I just feel awful that you haven’t had any. So, at around midnight, I got up here and waited until the sea was completely empty of icebergs to show you. I wanted at least one good thing to happen to you during the cruise.”

His eyes widened. “Wait, you’ve been here since midnight!?”

“Yeah? I mean, it’s really no big deal.”

Before Timmy could respond, Hattie, wearing a set of purple pajamas with a time piece logo on the top, walked up to them. “It’s ready!”

Timmy gave her a quizzical look. “What’s ready?”

Without missing a beat, Hattie quipped, “We’re gonna have this entire ritual where we throw you overboard as a sacrifice to the ancient gods, Timmy. It lasts for about twelve hours, so make sure you’re ready for it! There’s gonna be singing, dancing, and cake!”

“Oh, nice! Cake!”

“None for you, though. You’ll be in the water.”

“Aww,” he frowned.

Bow looked at him weirdly. “You… you do know that she’s kidding, right? We’re not throwing you overboard.”

“You won’t, but she might.” Timmy pointed to Hattie, who was giving him a mischievous grin. As soon as Bow turned to her, however, it was replaced with an innocent-looking expression.

“Just, uh, come this way!” Hattie led them to one of the tables at the back of the deck where Mu, who was wearing a red shirt and black sweatpants (oh, nice! Black sweatpants gang!), was waiting.

On the table was a radio, a few energy drink cans, and some boxes of chicken nuggets. A blue banner hung above the table, reading, _“Our Favorite Trash Boy!”_

“Surprise!” the girls shouted.

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Is it someone’s birthday or…?”

“No, dummy. The party’s for you!” Hattie beamed, gesturing to the banner. “What other trash boy would we do this for? The raccoon that I accidentally brought to the spaceship with me a year ago and still haven’t found yet?”

Bow blinked. “What?”

“What?”

A small gasp escaped him. “The party’s… for me?”

“Now you’re getting it!” Mu gave him a playful punch on the shoulder, which hurt. A lot. “We know it’s late. I mean, it _is_ during the Gamer Hour—”

Beside him, Bow groaned.

“—but we wanted to do something for our resident Trash Boy!” Mu continued, paying her no mind. “We know things have been kinda chaotic lately, and we just wanted to give you that vacation you’ve been rambling about.”

“Exactly! Why not actually get to have some fun on this cruise, right?” Hattie handed him an energy drink, which he happily accepted. “What do you think?”

At first, Timmy didn’t know what to say. He knew his friends cared for him, he really did, but whenever any of them did something nice for him, he couldn’t help but feel… a little shocked. Whether it was an action as simple as Hattie letting him win at Initial-T or Mu sneaking him an energy drink from her secret stash, the fact that he had gotten so close to these three in such a short amount of time never failed to surprise him. He might’ve been a weird little trash gremlin boy who used too much outdated slang and had a chicken nugget obsession, but he was their weird little trash gremlin boy, and Timmy couldn’t be happier.

The cruise may have sucked, but his friends sure didn’t.

“I think Timmy’s finally gonna get his vacation! For real this time!” he said eventually, beginning to guzzle his energy drink triumphantly.

In response, the girls shouted, “Radical!”

“Let’s get this party started!” Hattie cheered, turning on the radio. “We’re not gonna stop until we get a noise complaint!”

“Hopefully we don’t get to that point…” Bow nervously supplied, wincing at how loud the music was. “Maybe we could turn it down a bit? I don’t want to bother anyone else, you know.”

“Aw, come on, Bow! Stop worrying about everyone else for a change and have some fun!” Mu grinned, attempting to pull Bow into some sort of twist. “Besides, this party is for _you-know-who_ …”

Bow hesitated for a moment before her shoulders relaxed and she began to dance along with Mu. “Okay, you’re right. Let’s have some fun!”

“Whoo! That’s my best friend! Look at her go!” Hattie giggled, doing her weird arm-waving dance. “Oh, and that other girl with her is okay too, I guess.”

Mu stuck her tongue out in reply. “You’re just jealous you can’t do any other dance moves besides that strange dance of yours.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that the Smug Dance™ is an integral part of my planet’s culture—”

“Hattie, no it isn’t. I was in the room with you when you came up with that dance four years ago,” Bow clarified, shaking her head in disapproval.

Timmy laughed, starting to groove to the music as well. “She got you there!”

Hattie hung her head in defeat. “She really did.”

These were the kinds of moments Timmy absolutely loved. No worries, no cares… just him and his friends having fun with their less-than-mediocre dance moves. Even if it was only for one night, he could forget about his fears and focus on what was really important: taking place in a high-stakes dance battle and losing miserably to everyone else.

It was still fun, though.

Maybe Bow wasn’t right about him being destined to end up in this timeline or whatever, but he felt that this night—err, morning—was too perfect to be an accident. In a weird way, he was incredibly thankful for that dumpster he landed in when he first arrived here. It led him to this moment.

It led him to her.

Timmy glanced at Bow, who was attempting to teach Hattie something other than her smug dance. From the looks of it, it wasn’t going too well, but it seemed like they were both having a blast. For a moment, Bow took her eyes off of Hattie and made eye contact with Timmy, giving him a soft smile.

Right then, Timmy was filled with a warm and fuzzy feeling that made his heart feel like it was doing some totally sick backflips. What was that veiny boy doing in his chest, and… why didn’t Timmy want this feeling to end?

“Well, I give up!” Hattie suddenly cried, snapping him out of his daze. “I guess the only dance that this hat child was born to do was her smug one! Oh, woe is me!” Clutching a hand to her chest, she fell to the floor. “Tell my story! Let it serve as a cautionary tale for those who can’t dance… I’m talking specifically about Timmy, of course!”

“Hey!” Timmy pouted.

Mu let out a playful scoff. “Get up, you big baby.”

“No! I can’t! I’m dying a dramatic death!”

“Are you seriously pretending to die _just_ to get out of a dance lesson?” Bow nudged her friend with her foot. “That’s… really extra.”

“I know, right?” Mu knelt down beside her and poked her shoulder. “You do realize how dirty these floors are, right? You know the seals can’t clean to save their lives.”

“Shh… let me pass on in peace…”

Mu rolled her eyes. “You are the definition of the word dramatic.”

“Yeah, but you still love me, right?” Hattie asked, opening her eyes and giving her girlfriend a cheeky grin.

She shrugged. “Maybe. Mostly on Tuesdays.”

“What!?”

Mu laughed. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Don’t get your pajamas all in a twist. You know I love you.”

“Aww…”

Timmy made a gagging noise. “Guys, please. I’m trying to vibe. This isn’t the ‘Mu and Hattie Flirting Power Hour’ or whatever.”

“Sounds like someone’s just jealous because he can’t flirt,” Hattie shot back, getting up from the floor with Mu’s help. “It’s okay, Timmy. We can’t all be smooth.”

“Uh, what!? I can flirt! You’ve just never seen how smooth I can be.”

“Pretty sure you don’t even know the definition of smooth, Timmy,” Hattie chuckled, crossing her arms. “But since you’re so confident, go ahead and give us your best pick-up line! Be my guest! Just don’t expect any of us to help you up when you fall flat on your face.”

“You know what? Fine, I will! Watch and learn from Timmy the Smooth Boy!” Timmy turned to Bow, who had just started eating a few chicken nuggets from one of the boxes on the table. “Hey girl,” he grinned, giving her finger guns. “Are you the kingdom of Subcon? Cause you’re gonna fall for me soon!”

In response to his smoothness, Bow began to choke on a chicken nugget.

“Well, that didn’t even remotely make sense!” Mu said. “What does that even mean?”

“I’m saying that she’s gonna fall for me like the kingdom of Subcon…” Timmy attempted, not really sure where he was going with this explanation.

Hattie raised an eyebrow. “Are you implying that _you’re_ the reason Subcon fell, Timmy?” she asked, patting Bow’s back as she began to cough.

“No! I meant… uh…” Timmy paused for a moment, frowning. “Can I get a do-over?”

“No,” Hattie and Mu said in unison.

“Fair enough.”

As they laughed over his totally admirable flirting attempt (he was just having an off day, okay? He was usually a lot smoother than this), Timmy shifted his gaze to the ocean, noticing a few icebergs in the water. Immediately, his shoulders tensed and his heart rate picked up.

_No, no. Not here. Not now. Come on, dude. Get ahold of yourself._

Doing his best to swallow the lump in his throat, Timmy snapped his head away from the water and faced the girls once more. Hattie and Mu were talking about something related to Timmy’s pick-up line attempt, while Bow, who was luckily okay, was darting her eyes back and forth between Timmy and the water behind him.

“Well, I think this party was a success!” she said finally, clapping her hands together. “Let’s end it before we actually do get a noise complaint.”

“Aww, so soon? I didn’t even get to throw Timmy overboard yet!” Hattie joked. “But we might as well, seeing how it’s almost sunrise and people are gonna get up soon.”

Bow nodded. “Yeah, but we had fun while it lasted, right?”

“Of course!” Timmy smiled. “Thank you so much for doing this, guys! It means a lot to know that this cool dude crawled out of the dumpster and straight into your hearts.”

Everyone rolled their eyes, but laughed with him nonetheless.

“Hattie and I can go ahead and take the banner down and stuff. You two can go in and get some rest, alright?” Mu said, nudging a very confused Hattie.

“What? Why are we…” Hattie’s eyes widened. “Oh! Never mind. Yeah, you two can go. All by yourselves. Just you two. Alone!” She then turned to Mu and whispered, "Nailed it!"

Mu facepalmed. "You know, I'm starting to think that it was better when you were actively betting against me..."

“I’ll just use whatever scheme this is to my advantage and actually get some sleep, then,” Bow said, meeting eyes with Timmy. “You ready?”

He gave her a thumbs up. “Let’s go!”

Surprisingly, the walk back to hallway was… strangely quiet. At first Timmy thought it was because they were both tired, but he was beginning to think that maybe that wasn’t the case. Bow kept looking like she wanted to say something, but whenever she turned to him and opened her mouth, she immediately closed it and moved her gaze elsewhere.

“You okay?” he finally questioned, stepping closer to her.

She let out a dry laugh. “I was trying to figure out a way to ask you that, you know.” Bow didn’t expand upon this thought until they reached the door to Timmy’s room, where she said, “Maybe I’m overthinking everything, but… I don’t know. You’ve just been a bit more closed off ever since we came here, and it might be because of all the ice, but I’m just worried about you, you know?”

He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“You said you didn’t get any sleep, right? I don’t know if that had anything to do with the icebergs or if you’re just stressed out about something, but whatever it is, your feelings are valid. If it's any consolation, I'm still learning that lesson myself...” Bow trailed off for a moment, seemingly debating on whether or not to say something. It almost looked like she was having an internal argument with herself. Timmy was about to ask what she was thinking, but she shook her head and took a deep breath. “The point is, you can always come to me if you need anything, okay? In fact, you can come to any of us! I know we love to tease you and all, but if today’s any indication, we all really do care for you. No matter what you’re feeling and how ashamed of it you are, you will always have people to help you out. Please remember that.”

If Timmy had to choose one thing that he absolutely _loved_ about Bow, it would be her way with words. Whenever she was really passionate about something, she would give this entire flowery speech on it, making Timmy stop whatever he was doing and listen to her with undivided attention. She would sometimes apologize after she was done, claiming that she was just rambling and not making any sense. Even if Timmy didn’t understand what she was saying, he would tell her not to be sorry, because he really did enjoy listening to her talk. It was... kind of strange, considering that he never did that when MJ gave him a lecture.

It was extremely special to him whenever he was the subject of one of her speeches. Majority of the time, it would be something along the lines of him being an absolute weirdo, but whenever she reminded him of how much she meant to him, a big grin would spread across his face and his heart would do those sick backflips. Timmy would try his best to respond, but whatever words he came up with wouldn’t be as elegant as hers. Words never seemed to fail her, and in all truthfulness, he was kinda jealous.

One day, when he was thinking about this, Timmy made a vow to himself to tell her how much she meant to him. He’d find all of the right words to say, and deliver the most excellent—no—the most radical speech, and then she’d smile that genuine smile that Timmy loved seeing…

Oh no.

Oh peck.

This was happening. This was really happening.

Maybe, just maybe, Timmy was truly becoming soft. And maybe, just maybe, Timmy didn’t mind that. Everything he was feeling at this moment was weird, but a good weird.

Why?

Well, Timmy the Trash Boy finally realized that he had feelings for Bow, and that was a pretty obvious fact. If it took him this long to realize that, maybe he wasn't the sharpest crayon in the marker box.

He wanted to blame all of those romance movies that a certain someone made him sit through, but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. He really liked her, and that was... that was kinda radical, actually.

Bringing himself out of his thoughts, Timmy gave her a small smile. “Thanks, Bow. For everything.”

She smiled back, patting his arm. “No problem, Timmy. Get some rest, okay?”

“You too!”

As he watched her walk away, an unpleasant thought began to gnaw away at his conscience—one that stung a lot more than all of his fears.

If he felt this much for her, how much would it hurt when they had to say goodbye to one another?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT, GAZING AT THE STARS SO BRIGHT-
> 
> I also couldn't find a way to smoothly integrate this into the chapter, but yeah, he was the one to put her in the pillow fort last chapter. He walked in and saw her asleep against the dryer, and with CC's help (who was still in there), picked her up and put her in the pillow fort. Can't run away from your feelings anymore, Timmy! You're a sweet boy, no matter how edgy you try to be! Also, Bow's love for sleep is a mood.
> 
> Also thank you to my friend who helped out during this chapter's editing process <3 By the way, happy holidays!! Take care of yourselves, stay safe, and (say it with me) wash your hands, you're not a shapeless blob.
> 
> Anyway, as the stakes get higher in this fic, things get, well, weirder. Join us next time on Co-op where some questions get some really obvious answers, someone gets betrayed, and I debate whether or not to do a haha funny joke


	13. Learning What is True

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait a minute... the year looks kinda different... did it get a hair cut?? Wow! Nice! Also, this chapter got kinda long, so I had to split it into two! Both parts are up, so, uh, yeah!
> 
> Did you guys know that there's an energy drink flavor called "Radical Skadattle"?? Look it up! I almost choked on my dinner when I was made aware of this fact. Also, anybody know what happened to the people behind Timmy Day?? They've been kinda quiet, and I'm kinda scared...
> 
> Also thank you to my friend who just kinda accidentally became my beta reader. You're a real one <3

“Can you believe the nerve of some people? It’s almost as if _everyone_ in the metro’s on edge or something! I mean, I was almost trampled over three separate times upon leaving the subway, and I hadn’t even gotten on set yet!”

“Really? Wow,” Bow breathed, sitting down by the old telephone in the machine room. “And you said this has been going on for a while?”

A little sigh came from CC’s end of the phone. “I think it’s been happening for a couple of months, but it’s been getting worse recently. I visited Johnny’s little café to say hi to him, and I ended up scaring the cat half to death!” Another sigh. “Poor thing looked like he hadn’t slept in a week! Wonder if he's doing alright...”

“What’s it like on set, Mom? Are the crew doing alright?”

“Well, they’re a bit—” A crash sounded from the other side of the phone, followed by a few shrieks.

“SHE’S HERE! WE’RE DOOMED!” Bow heard a cat scream in the background. “RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!”

“She’s not here! Someone just dropped a pan, that’s all!” CC called to them, a slight edge of irritation creeping into her voice. “Hold on, hon. Give me a second.”

“Will do!” Bow replied. “Take your time.”

Although Bow wasn’t quite sure what was going on in the set of CC’s cooking show, it sounded kind of similar to what had been happening in the spaceship. Not that they were panicking like the cats were or anything, but there was a certain feeling of restlessness that nestled itself into the hearts of Bow’s friends.

A little while after Bow and the others had finally made it home from the cruise, they decided to go back to searching for who made the time piece all glitchy. Alpine Skyline was the obvious place for them to tackle first, seeing as it was an incredibly vast area. This, along with the fact that quite a bit of the sections were extremely difficult to travel through, caused the teens to spend a lot more time in the skyline then any of them had wanted to.

It also didn’t help that Timmy got lost, like, a hundred times.

Traversing a place as big as the skyline had left them incredibly drained, so Bow opted for them to take a little bit of a break before resuming the search. The others agreed, but as the days went on, Bow could tell that her friends were getting a little antsy from not doing anything.

“I’m back!” CC’s voice filled her ears once more, bringing her out of her thoughts and causing her to jump. “Sorry, hon. It’s just been really hectic here lately.”

Bow waved a hand dismissively, although she knew her mother couldn’t see it. “It’s fine. Do you know what could be causing this, though?”

“Well, I’m not one to spread rumors, but,” CC lowered her voice, “the Nyakuza might have something to do with this.”

Bow’s eyes widened. “What? But I thought… didn’t Timmy and I…?”

“Apparently not, sugar. Apparently not. They’ve just been a lot more active lately, so security around the metro has been heightened. Maybe that’s the reason why everyone’s been so scared,” her mother said. “I’ve heard rumors that they’re still looking for that time piece of yours, so be careful, alright?”

“Still? Haven’t they learned their lesson by now?”

“I don’t know if they can help it, sugar. It’s the Empress that’s making them do this, after all.”

Bow was quiet for a moment, beginning to play with one of the buttons on her jacket. “Do you think there are cats who work with the Empress even though they don’t want to? I always assumed that the entire Nyakuza was incredibly loyal to her because they wanted to be, not because they had to be.”

“Not sure, dear. All I know is that the metro isn’t very safe, so as soon as filming for this season is done, I’ll be avoiding it for a while.” A faint rustling of a few papers was heard on her end, then, “Did you know that the Nyakuza have smoke bombs now?”

“Smoke bombs?” Bow made a face. “What are they, magicians?”

CC laughed, but then another crash was heard on her end of the phone conversation, followed by some more screams. “I swear, these cats will be the death of me…” she muttered. “I’m gonna go, but as soon as we’re done filming, I’ll bring y’all some leftover pecan pie, alright?”

“Alright,” Bow smiled. “Take care. I love you.”

“Love you too,” CC hummed. “Hey, by the way, did you and you-know-who kiss yet, or—?”

“OKAY, GOTTA GO, BYE!” Bow yelped, jumping to her feet.

She quickly hung up the phone, trying her best to control the blush that was rising on her cheeks. Bow took a few deep breaths and walked towards the door, almost bumping into a very panicked Hattie.

“Bow! Emergency!” Hattie grabbed both of her shoulders and began to shake her back and forth. “I can’t find any of the blobs! They’re gone!”

“Gone?” Bow gasped. “How’d you lose track of them? I thought you were studying them or something.”

“I was, but… I fell asleep for, like, five seconds, and when I woke up, they were all gone!” Hattie said, still shaking Bow. “I guess that’s what I get for pulling an all-night gaming session with Mu yesterday.”

“Don’t worry! We’ll find them,” Bow reassured, causing Hattie to stop rocking her back and forth. “Let’s let the others know, and we can split up looking for them. They couldn’t have gone far, right?”

Hattie took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re right, you’re right. Let’s go tell Mu and Timmy.”

Bow gave her a gentle smile and let Hattie lead her into the bedroom, where Mu and Timmy were lounging on the pillow fort and having a conversation over a few soda cans.

“Then I was like, ‘you know what? Maybe the real cannon was the friends we made along the way’,” Timmy said, taking a sip of his soda can. “And then I destroyed it in cold blood.”

Mu blinked. “Okay, uh… I don’t know why you told me this, because I asked you what your favorite color was.”

“Oh, seriously?” Timmy shot her a confused look. “Sorry! I thought you asked me how I broke into Thor’s factory, destroyed a lot of his inventions, and almost got killed by his robot security. My bad. It was an honest mistake!”

“I… what?”

“Sorry to interrupt… whatever this is, but have you seen the blobs?” Bow asked, causing everyone to turn to her. “Hattie fell asleep when they were out of their containers, and now they’re gone.”

“Oh, yeah!” Timmy grinned. “I actually did see them when I was getting some soda cans for me and Mu!”

Hattie glanced around the bedroom. “Really? Where?”

“They were looking at the control panel, actually. It _kinda_ seemed like they were trying to figure out how it worked.”

“The control panel?” Hattie met eyes with Bow. “How’d we miss that?”

Bow shrugged.

“Wait, hold on,” Mu interjected, holding up a hand, “they’re at the control panel and you didn’t stop them from trying to mess with the ship?”

Hattie shook her head. “There’s no need, because I turned it off. They can’t move the ship unless if they use the ‘password’, which is basically just a bunch of buttons pressed in a very specific order…” She shot Timmy a suspicious glance. “You didn’t tell them the password, right?”

“Of course not, dude! I don’t even know it!”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“That’s why I gave them the ship’s manual so they could figure it out!”

Hattie’s eyes widened. “You wh—”

At that moment, the ship lurched forward, causing Hattie and Bow to go crashing into the pillow fort and for the soda cans to go flying out of Timmy and Mu’s hands.

As soon as they all recovered, the girls glared at Timmy.

“Look, in my defense, I didn’t know shapeless blobs could read!”

“Alright!” Hattie leapt to her feet and pulled out her umbrella. “These blobs are about to get it for messing with my control panel! Let’s go—”

The ship jerked again, prompting her to fall back into the pillow fort.

“Never mind, I guess,” she said, her voice muffled by the pillows.

Bow glanced at Timmy, who was solemnly gazing at his spilled soda can. “Hey, Timmy! Can you fly over to the control panel and put the blobs back in their containers? You can do it before the ship moves again!”

Instead of rapidly agreeing like she expected him to do, he just nervously looked away from her. “Uh… I don’t think I can, because… something, something, gravity?”

“What?”

The ship began to rapidly jerk in all directions, forcing them all to tumble around the bedroom. Immediately springing to action, Mu grabbed the telescope that was rolling by her and held it close to her chest to keep it safe.

“Good thinking, Mu!” Hattie called from by the bed. She grabbed onto one of the legs, wincing at the bedside lamp that fell to the floor and shattered into a bunch of pieces. “No! I liked that lamp!” she cried. Hattie then shook her head and turned back to the rest of the group. “Guys! Try and make your way over here! I bolted the bed to the floor, so it should be able to steady us!”

“Normally I would question that, but I don’t think I can in this situation!” Through a stroke of luck, the ship’s movement sent Mu rolling towards Hattie, who quickly grabbed her arm to try and hold her down. “Thanks.”

Hattie nodded. “Bow! Timmy! Get over here!”

Bow was about to try and slide her way over to them when she noticed Timmy clutching onto the doorframe for dear life. Deciding to ask him to use his powers once more, she shouted, “If flying won’t work, try teleporting! It’s quicker!”

“Ooh, good idea!” Hattie agreed. “Timmy! Teleport!”

Timmy didn’t respond.

“Uh, hello? Earth to Timmy?” Mu tightened her grip on both the telescope and Hattie. “Everything’s gonna break if we don’t do something about this, and I’d rather not watch my girlfriend be crushed under this bed if the bolts come loose!”

Due to the gravity of the ship of that current moment, Bow was sent sliding towards Timmy. He grabbed her arm, attempting to steady her and prevent her from tumbling around the bedroom.

“Hey,” she whispered. “If something’s wrong with your magic, you need to tell us.”

“N-nothing’s wrong!” he finally replied. “I’m good! My magic’s good! We’re all good!”

Mu scoffed. “Well, if it’s all ‘good’, then just teleport! What’s the problem?”

“There isn’t any!” Timmy shot back.

“Then do something!” Hattie and Mu shouted in unison.

Timmy drew in a shaky breath and teleported to the control panel, taking Bow with him. After the initial shock of him teleporting her wore off, Bow grabbed onto the seat in front of the control panel that was bolted into the ground to hold them steady. She looked up to see Squishy and Marshmallow haphazardly pressing the buttons with their antennas while Bob attempted to steer the steering wheel.

“Hey!” Bow called, causing them to stop what they were doing and the ship to jolt to a halt. “What are you three doing?”

The blobs gave her a sheepish glance and began to gurgle quietly. Using the chair, Bow shakily stood up, squirming out of Timmy’s grip in the process. Squishy and Marshmallow turned to Bob, seeing as it was the only one that could talk out of the three.

(Bow still didn’t know how or why that was possible, but she just accepted that she would probably never understand it. Magic was weird.)

“Mafia Town,” it explained in its distorted voice.

“What about it?”

Bob didn’t answer. It only twitched.

“No answer? Really? So, you’re telling me that you three put the safety of everyone in this ship at risk just to go to Mafia Town?” she asked, watching as they avoided her eyes. “You do realize that you could’ve asked me or Hattie to take you there, right? You guys didn’t have to do this by yourselves!” She then closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, noticing how her tone was rising. “I’m not mad. Just… tell me if you need something, okay? A lot of the time, it’s usually not a good idea to keep whatever you’re feeling or wanting inside if there are people around that can help.”

_Hypocrite._

The blobs nodded. Sighing, Bow turned to Timmy, who had just sat up. He looked down at himself in shock for a while, carefully examining his hands.

“I’m… fine? I’m okay?” he quietly murmured to himself. Timmy then met Bow’s eyes, who was giving him a concerned stare. “How do I look?”

Bow raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Like, do I look okay? Is everything fine? Is everything… normal?”

“Yeah? You look fine.” Bow squinted her eyes at him. “Are you seriously asking me about your appearance right now?”

After a moment of hesitation, Timmy gave her finger guns. “Gotta make sure I’m still an Amazing, Fresh, Radical, Awesome, and Iconic Dude! Or, as one might say”—he paused for dramatic effect—“A.F.R.A.I.D!” He froze. “Wait.”

At that, Mu burst out of the bedroom and stomped over to the control panel. “Alright, these blobs are about to get it!”

Bow held her arms out protectively in front of them. “Wait! They just wanted to go down to Mafia Town!”

“They wanted to go down to Mafia Town?” Mu folded her arms. “So, that just excuses them messing with the ship and putting everyone in danger?”

“No, but…” Bow looked down. “They wouldn’t have done it if it’s not important, right? I mean, they’ve all been pretty calm recently, so there’s probably a reason as to why they did this.”

_She has a point, you know. It is kind of naïve to trust them, knowing that they can really hurt someone, idiot._

Bow bit her lip.

“Didn’t Squishy throw a tantrum because he wanted a fry two weeks ago?” Timmy asked, slowly standing up.

Mu gave him a weird look. “Didn’t _you_ do that?”

“No, that was yesterday, not two weeks ago!”

Hattie walked out of the bedroom before Mu could even attempt to respond to that. “Okay, so the damage in the bedroom isn’t too bad. It’s probably worse in some other places… which means that I have to collect, like, so many pons to pay for that!” she groaned, making a face. “Guess I gotta go to Mafia Town or something to get some pons.”

“Well, you’re in luck, because guess where these tiny things want us to go?” Mu gestured to the blobs, who were looking like they wanted to be anywhere else right now.

“Really?” Hattie made her way over to the small creatures, cautiously looking them up and down. Then, she shrugged. “Okay, whatever. We’ve done weirder things.”

“Hang on, hang on. You’re just gonna trust these things? Doesn’t that seem a little, I don’t know, strange?”

“As weird as this is, we’ve got nothing to lose,” Hattie said, taking out her umbrella and equipping her hover badge. “It’s the one place we haven’t checked yet for the person who corrupted the time piece, anyway. They have been kinda chill lately, aside from the whole fry incident, and if worse comes to worse, we can always fight our way out of a situation!”

Mu put a hand to her chin. “Well, I do like punching things…” After a moment of hesitation, she threw her arms up in defeat. “Ah, what the peck? Let’s trust these strange little things!”

The blobs made a noise resembling that of a cheer.

“But if this backfires in all of our faces, I will not hesitate to say I told you so.”

Hattie nodded. “Fair.” Opening the hatch on the spaceship’s window, she beamed and gestured for everyone to come towards her. “Let’s go, guys! That includes you weird blobs too!”

After the blobs hopped into Bow’s pocket, they all made their descent down to the planet, complete with even more screaming, courtesy of the three beings that were nestled in Bow’s jacket. When they finally landed, the blobs jumped out of her pocket and made their way to the construction site.

It suddenly occurred to Bow that even though it had been four years since the Mafia started building… whatever they were building, it seemed like absolutely no progress had been made.

(But that’s just how Mafia works, right?)

“Really?” Mu sighed, still gathering her bearings from the trip down to the planet. “How did those things bounce back that quickly? They were screaming louder than Timmy!”

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that the last one to the construction site is a corrupted time piece!” Hattie giggled, taking off after the blobs.

“Don’t insult my son,” Timmy frowned, but chased after her nonetheless.

Not one to be beaten, Mu raced to catch up with Timmy and Hattie, leaving behind her a cloud of dust. Seeing nowhere else to go, Bow shook her head and sprinted after everyone else, deciding to go a bit slower to take in the view.

Even though Mu and the Mafia had a bit of a… complex relationship, so to speak, they both had reluctantly agreed to at least tolerate each other after the whole world-turning-into-lava-incident. It seemed to be mainly out of fear over another event like that happening, or worse, getting smacked in the face with an umbrella again, but at least Mafia Town was a lot more peaceful than it was four years ago. The Mafia agreed to stay out of her and the townspeople’s ways if she stayed out of theirs, and for the most part, it was fine. Aside from the occasional harmless prank or two, Mafia Town was doing a lot better.

So, it made sense as to why a mafia member tripped Hattie, sending her crashing head-first into the pavement, but it still didn’t excuse it or make it right.

Mu gasped, whirling around to face him. “Uh, dude? Watch where you put your foot! You just tripped my girlfriend!”

“Watch where you put girlfriend,” he replied, seemingly disinterested in the conversation already. “Mafia thinks you need not worry about the hat girl tripping. Mafia had nothing to do with it.”

“Nothing? I have eyes, you know!” she huffed. “Look, just apologize, and we’ll leave you alone, alright? We don’t want any trouble, no matter how tempting it is to beat in your face right now.”

“Red-hooded girl is getting worked up over a little stumble and fall?” the mafioso chuckled. “No matter what girl attempt to say, it sounds like she really is itching for a fight.”

Mu clenched her hands into fists. “Am not! I just don’t like it when people hurt her! Besides, I could totally take you in a fight.”

He grinned, cracking his knuckles threateningly. “Is that challenge?”

She stared at the man for a moment, various emotions flashing across her face. It almost seemed like she was about to fall back into her old habits and take back everything that she had worked so hard on for the past couple of years. Her anger was justified, of course, but the underlying fear behind that anger had caused her to lash out and do certain things that she deeply regretted and probably still berated herself for.

Would everything be taken back in this moment?

Mu took a deep breath, unclenched her fists, and stepped away from him. “No,” she stated simply. “Sorry, but I don’t waste my time on people who don’t matter in my life.”

Bow smiled. Of course the answer would be no.

Ignoring the faint grumbles of the mafia man who was storming off, Mu helped Hattie to her feet. “You okay? That was quite a tumble you took back there.”

“That was amazing! You were amazing!” Hattie beamed, wrapping her up in a hug.

“Aww, it was nothing.”

“Nothing? Yeah, right! You stood up to that guy and told him off while keeping your cool! You’re so amazing!” Hattie then gave her a shy look as she let go of Mu and tapped her two index fingers together. “Hey… uh… are you single by any chance?”

Mu snorted. “Be quiet, you absolute flirt,” she grinned, giving her a playful shove.

“Come on! You had to admit that that was pretty smooth.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. At this rate, your ego will be even bigger than that top hat of yours,” Mu teased, flicking the rim of Hattie’s hat. “Thanks, though.”

“Although my opinion may not matter as much as hers, I do have to agree that it was nice to see how much you’ve grown, even if I’ve only watched you from afar,” a familiar voice commented from somewhere behind them. “Forgive me for the intrusion, young ones, but I happen to think that I have reason to be here.”

Everyone spun around, coming face-to-face with a certain person that they hadn’t seen for a very long time.

Unfortunately, this person was not familiar to Timmy at all, seeing as he screamed in terror.

“IS THAT THE GRIM REAPER!?” He darted behind the girls, beginning to tremble. “I’M NOT READY! I’M TOO YOUNG TO DIE AND TOO OLD TO EAT OFF OF THE KIDS’ MENU! WHAT A STUPID AGE I AM!”

“Oh, them?” Mu raised an eyebrow. “That’s just the Badge Seller.”

“The who?”

“Badge Seller!” Hattie grinned, walking up to the salesperson. “How’s it going? I haven’t seen you in… I don’t even know how long. Got any cool new badges to sell?”

The Badge Seller shook their head. “I am afraid not, young one. My deepest apologies.”

Hattie waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine! I was just curious!”

“That dude is horrifying,” Timmy whispered to Bow, still trembling in fear.

“It’s alright!” She patted his arm. “They’re really friendly and helpful. Just be nice to them, okay? Go ahead and introduce yourself!”

Bow could’ve sworn she saw a flash of red on Timmy’s face markings, but when she blinked, it was gone.

Timmy rolled his eyes. “Fine, but only because you asked.” He then put on a shaky grin and sauntered over to the Badge Seller, emitting an aroma of false confidence like it was his signature brand of cologne. “What’s up, Badge Seller? The name’s Timmy!” He gave them finger guns, trying his best to be unfazed by their confused stare. “Can I call you B.S.?”

The Badge Seller looked at him incredulously before speaking. “I hope you can comprehend the exact reason as to why you can’t do that.”

Before Timmy could attempt to save himself from this awkward situation, an unreadable expression crossed the Badge Seller’s mask. They stepped closer to him, prompting Timmy to grimace and lean back away from them.

“Pardon my bluntness, young one, but there appears to be a lot of things wrong with you,” they said finally.

Timmy scoffed. “Gee, thanks.”

“Please don’t take that as an insult. I was merely just stating facts.”

“Ooh, are we roasting Timmy? Can I go next?” Hattie excitedly raised her hand and began to jump up and down.

“For starters,” they continued, paying Hattie no mind, “you don’t belong here.”

The blobs, who were seemingly the ones who brought them over here, hopped onto the Badge Seller’s shoulders. Then, in perfect unison, the blobs and the Badge Seller all twitched.

“As you can see, these tiny creatures and I share a rather… twitchy predicament, and seeing that I can sense my magic coming from somewhere else, there is something, or _someone,_ suffering from this condition as well.”

Timmy’s eyes widened. “Wait.” He pulled out Brad from his jacket pocket and held it out towards the Badge Seller.

The time piece started to twitch uncontrollably in the Badge Seller’s mere presence. Everyone gasped.

 _“You’re_ the one who corrupted the time piece,” Timmy whispered slowly.

They nodded. “This is just what I’ve been dreading,” the Badge Seller sighed. “This time piece that is in your possession is incredibly dangerous, and it is all my fault. I am truly sorry.”

“That’s why the time piece was all twitchy! It was so pecking obvious!” Hattie grumbled, slapping a hand to her forehead. “This all just proves that we are officially the stupidest group ever. Bow, do you have the brain cell right now? If so, can you donate it to charity or something? I don’t think we deserve to have it anymore.”

“Off topic, but can you scream really loudly and fire acidic goo, Badge Seller?” Timmy questioned. “Because if the blobs can, and I can’t, that means you can, right?”

The Badge Seller looked away. “That’s… uh… personal.”

“What?”

“Hang on.” Mu held a hand up. “How exactly did you corrupt this time piece?”

The Badge Seller clasped both of their hands on their cane. “Half a year ago, I was travelling between timelines—”

“Wait, you can travel between timelines!?” Hattie yelped. “How come you never told me that!?”

“You never asked,” they stated simply, shrugging their shoulders. “Getting back on track, I made a quick pit stop in a certain timeline to get resources needed for my badges, as well as other… less important reasons. You don’t need to worry about those specific details, young ones. They aren’t necessary to this story.”

At that exact moment, Bow noticed a new badge on their brown backpack that read, _“Badge Lovers’ Convention 20XX! It’s the perfect place to be for all of your badge-loving needs!”_ It didn’t appear to be for sale.

“As I was leaving that timeline, I was hit in the head with an object,” they continued, looking off into the distance. “I had hoped it wasn’t a time piece, but seeing as I started to feel my magic in timelines that I was not currently in, I begun to fear the worst.”

Hattie hummed in thought. “So, the reason why the time piece got corrupted was because you were using your magic while it hit you, and that created the rift that sent Timmy here?”

“That is what I assume, yes.”

“I guess that makes sense,” she nodded. “Were we right in thinking that the reason why Brad only sent Timmy and not the alternate version of me was because of his magic affecting it?”

The Badge Seller gave her a confused look. “Brad?”

“Oh, sorry! That’s what Timmy named the time piece.”

“Strange,” the Badge Seller said, causing Timmy to frown. “But yes, that seems to be the case.” They took Brad from Timmy’s hands, much to his very obvious dismay. “This poor object has too much magic in it. It makes me wonder how it’s still intact.”

“It’s because my son is amazing! Brad’s a radical little dude!” He was quiet for a second before a smirk appeared on his face. “I guess one might say that he’s _… Brad-ical?”_

The silence that followed after the joke was deafening.

“Well, I thought it was funny,” he pouted. “You guys wouldn’t know comedy if it hit you in the chest and sent you to another timeline.”

“Getting back on track,” Bow started, giving him a sympathetic smile, “since we know who made the time piece all twitchy, what do we do now? What’s our plan?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think we’d get this far,” Hattie said. “Any ideas, Badge Seller?”

The Badge Seller stared at Timmy for a moment. “If the combined forces of our magic affecting the time piece is what caused you to arrive here, then it’s not too far-fetched to suggest that the same thing will help you leave.”

“So… you’re saying that you’re gonna bonk me in the head with a time piece so I can go back home?” Timmy questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Pretty much, yes.”

Timmy was quiet for a second before shrugging. “Yeah, that seems about right.”

“Wait a minute, we’ve been pecking around for _six literal months,_ trying our hardest to figure all of this time piece junk out and fight these weird blob things, when the solution was literally just to throw a time piece at him!? First of all, I called that on the very first day, and second of all… wow.” Mu put a hand to her head. “We really are the stupidest group ever. Seriously, was everything that happened during this adventure an unnecessary waste of time?”

Hattie let out a dry chuckle. “I guess so! Hey, do you think we should donate our brain cell to Dead Bird Studio or the Subcon Forest?”

“The birds, probably. Maybe they’ll use it to make a good movie for once. Is it just me, or have their movies really dropped in quality over the past four years?”

“Well, now that you mention it—”

“Hang on, hang on. I’ve been in this timeline for six months?” Timmy interrupted, glancing at the Badge Seller in shock. “HK must be so worried! And MJ… MJ’s gonna kill me for not showing up to his magic lessons! Hey, Badge Seller? Do you think you can give him a doctor’s note telling him that I was sick or something?”

The Badge Seller gave him a weird look. “Sick? You were in another timeline. Just say that.”

“He’s not gonna believe me. Once, when he asked me if I did my homework, I told him that HK ate it.” He shook his head and sighed. “The homework was to practice my magic. He did not believe my story one bit.”

“So, that’s it then,” Bow murmured quietly, halting their conversation and prompting all eyes to land on her. “The only question left to answer is when we’re sending Timmy home, which is probably really soon, right?”

The Badge Seller nodded. “Indeed. I assume our timeline-hopping friend is quite eager to get back to where he belongs, right? Might as well end this… unnecessary adventure, as you say, quickly.”

“Wait, now? Like, right now? But I…” Timmy met Bow’s eyes for a split second. “I didn’t… I wanted to… why right now?”

“He’s right! Why don’t we give him a few more days here?” Mu suggested, putting a hand on Timmy’s shoulder. “If we’re not going to see this boy for a while, at least let us beat him at Initial T a few more times!”

“Well, I didn’t want to say this, but…” the Badge Seller took another step closer to Timmy. “Your timeline thinks you have perished in the time rift.”

Timmy froze. “What?”

“When your friend was transported out of the rift, you were nowhere to be found. She searched everywhere around the planet for you, but…” They bowed their head. “She assumed the worst, and has told your friends that you are gone. Because you’re not there anymore, she will be leaving for her home planet soon. If you stay here too long and are not able to talk to her before she leaves, then she will go about the rest of her life believing that you have passed on.”

Timmy took a few steps backwards. “Wow, that’s…” He leant against a wall of one of the nearby houses and moved his gaze to the ground. “That’s a lot to process.”

“I think we need to give him at least a day to say goodbye to all of us,” Hattie chimed in. “If I know me, and I’m pretty sure I do, that other me isn’t gonna leave right this moment. I’m pretty sure that she’ll wait at least one more day before heading back, right? Besides, now that you know where Timmy ended up, can’t you tell her that he’s okay and will be coming back soon?”

The Badge Seller thought for a moment. “I suppose I could, but it may take a while for me to make my way back to that timeline. Since I’m not from there, I don’t have a direct path like I do with this timeline.”

“So, what you’re saying is that I really only have one more day here?” Timmy asked quietly, an unreadable expression overtaking his face.

“That is correct,” the Badge Seller confirmed as the blobs hopped off of their shoulders. “I sense that I need to give you four some space. In the meantime, I will attempt to inform HK of the news, but if not, I will make my way back here and do my best to be of assistance.” When they met eyes with Timmy, they added, “We need to have a talk about your magic before you head back. We have much to discuss.”

When everyone else blinked, they were gone.

Hattie cleared her throat. “Well, uh… let’s head back to the spaceship, yeah?”

Everyone else nodded weakly as the blobs jumped back into Bow’s jacket pocket. Hattie took out her time piece and gestured for everyone to hold onto her. As soon as they did, she tapped the time piece, causing them all to be engulfed in a beam of light and sent towards the spaceship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a dream a few nights ago where the Badge Seller took me to Queen Vanessa's manor and just... left me there. I wasn't shaken up from the dream or anything, but it was an experience seeing Vanessa literally SPRINT towards me as I was backed into a corner :( Apparently I was some sort of sacrifice to free Timmy and MJ from the manor?? Dreams are weird, I don't know.
> 
> I think my entire writing process is just me going "I like writing Hattie and Mu happy with themselves and each other :) After everything they've been through, they deserve it :) :)" while Bow and Timmy are on fire. I'd like to think that this is somehow payback for the absolute brainrot that this ship gave me back from, like, March to July?? This fic was in development for quite a while (thanks, quarantine boredom!), but the Brad-ical joke has been with me for so long and I'm so happy that I got to make it. Also, is now a good time to admit that I have never once had an energy drink?? Ever?? I don't think I'd like them, honestly... Also shout-out to Jason Mendoza from The Good Place for existing because he is my biggest inspiration for writing Timmy (and he said the "kids' menu" joke hehe)
> 
> Anyway join us next time which is now for the second part to this journey


	14. If You're Gone Tomorrow, What Was Ours Still Will Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO! Did you just click on the most recent chapter?? If so, go back one!! I did a double upload today, which means double the Timmy antics... and double the weird author's notes... oh no...
> 
> I love how no matter how differently we headcanon how the kids make it back onto the ship after being on the planet, I haven't seen any explanation on how Cooking Cat, the Express/Wowl Band, and Mu broke in during the game. How did they get in?? Did they jump really high?? I don't have an answer, but I just wanted to bring it up for... reasons.
> 
> Anyway, I've been waiting for so long to make a Newsies reference in this fic, seeing as Timmy had a newsies cap when he was being developed as the original co-op character. So, uh, it's in here somewhere!

Upon arriving back in the spaceship, everyone stood around awkwardly, not quite sure what to do. Mu and Hattie met eyes for a moment, seemingly having a silent conversation. It lasted for a little while before they both nodded at each other.

“Uh, okay, why don’t we watch a movie?” Mu proposed, rubbing the back of her neck. “I can go get us some energy drinks and popcorn. It’ll be like when we were on the cruise, but… I don’t know. Calmer? Quieter?”

Sadder.

“That’s a great idea!” Hattie said, giving Mu a small smile. “I’ll take the blobs back into the lab, Bow. Why don’t you and Timmy pick out a movie?”

Bow gave her a weak thumbs-up and gestured for the blobs to jump out of her pocket and follow Hattie into the lab. Mu made her way to the kitchen, mumbling something about CC finding her energy drink stash and giving her a lecture on having a proper diet.

Then there were two.

“So…” Bow glanced down at the floor, fiddling with a button on her jacket. “Are you doing okay?”

“I’m going home,” Timmy said, sounding almost dazed. “It’s the one thing we’ve been working toward for all of these months, and now that the day’s here… well, I honestly don’t know what to feel.”

“I think that’s alright,” Bow shrugged. “Feelings are weird. I barely understand them myself.”

Timmy smirked. “Really? Little Miss Flowery Speeches doesn’t understand feelings? That’s the biggest plot twist that I’ve ever seen.”

She giggled, giving him a playful nudge. “Be quiet, weirdo.”

They both made their way over to the TV and plopped themselves down on the couch. As Timmy grabbed the remote off of the armrest and turned on the TV, Bow picked up a stack of DVDs that were piled on the floor and began to shuffle through them.

She so desperately wanted this to be like any other movie night, where Bow would pop in some cheesy rom-com and instantly begin to root for the romantic leads. Mu and Hattie would point out the very obvious plot holes and inconsistencies that Bow deliberately chose to ignore, thank you very much, while Timmy would make a variety of gagging noises every time a kiss scene came on. It annoyed her to no end back then, but now, well…

She’d give anything to listen to her friends make fun of the cheesy movies she liked without a care in the world. Bow knew they weren’t masterpieces, sure, but at least they ended happily.

At least those characters got their happy ending.

“Oh, Brad,” Timmy sighed, taking the time piece out of his pocket. “Looks like this journey of ours is coming to a close. Without you, I never would’ve learned what the joys of being a father are like.” He set the time piece down behind the couch and patted its head. “Rest easy, buddy.”

Bow rolled her eyes. “What do you want to watch?” she questioned, subtly removing the horror movies Hattie thought would be funny to “accidentally” put on one night.

“Honestly? I’m cool with whatever as long as it’s not romance.”

She looked away from him. “For once, I agree with you on that.”

“I stand corrected. _This_ is the biggest plot twist that I’ve ever seen. You don’t want to watch a romance movie?” He shifted his body to face her and raised an eyebrow. “Who are you and what have you done with Bow?”

“I just… don’t really want to see a happy ending right now,” she confessed honestly, putting the stack of DVDs back down.

“Do you want to watch that sad boat movie, then?”

“I don’t want to see a sad ending either.” She leant back against the couch and tucked her knees into her chest. “That’ll hit too close to home, anyway,” she mumbled, hoping that he didn’t hear that last part.

“Hey,” he whispered, his voice uncharacteristically soft. “You doing okay?”

“I asked you first. Besides, shouldn’t we be focusing on your feelings? You’re the one who’s leaving.”

“Don’t deflect.” He tapped her nose, causing a small smile to spread across her face. “Seriously, what’s up?”

“…Do you believe in fate or destiny?”

He tilted his head. “Is that what you’re worried about?”

“No. Well… it’s part of it. Do you?”

“Honestly? No. I don’t. I know you do, though.”

Bow held up a peace sign. “Guilty as charged,” she said, making him chuckle. “I just… I really do believe that you were destined to come here, you know? I want there to be some deeper meaning as to why we both met and why we became as close as we did. Maybe we were meant to learn something from each other. I don’t know.” She met his eyes. “Maybe I just want a reason why you’re destined to leave and why our story ends like this.”

He gave her a concerned look. “Our story ends like this?”

“Well—”

“Bow, this isn’t some book or movie. You have control over your own life, you know,” he said, scooting closer to her. “Wasn’t it you who told me that you get to choose what you do, which can affect the story that’s told about you?”

“Yeah, but—”

“But nothing. Look, maybe we did learn something from each other, but we’re not subject to some prophecy or whatever.” He gave her a gentle smile. “If life really is some kind of movie, book, or even… even a video game, I’d like to think it’s one that we have at least some control over. Even when we don’t feel like the main characters in our own life, we just have to remind ourselves that we are, and always have been. This is our game, Bow.”

Amused, she raised her eyebrows. “Look who’s giving the flowery speeches now.”

“What can I say? You bring out the best in me,” he admitted, shrugging. “Maybe we did bond over feeling like co-op players, but I don’t think we’re like that anymore. In fact, maybe we never were. We’ve got our own game. Our own adventure! Even if this entire adventure was unnecessary, it was our unnecessary adventure, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.” Timmy put both of his hands on her shoulders. “You’re too important to be anyone’s sidekick, and you’re too important to not be in control of your own life.”

Feeling her eyes beginning to water, Bow let go of herself and wrapped him up in a hug, to which he immediately reciprocated. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m so glad I met you.”

“I’m glad I met you too,” he responded. “I’m sorry that I don’t tell you you’re important a lot. I know how much you need to hear those words, and I haven’t been saying them, and—”

“Timmy, it’s okay.” Bow pulled away from the embrace just enough to look him in the eyes. “I’m starting to be nicer to myself because of you, and maybe… one day… I’ll believe that I’m important." She took one of his hands off of her and interlocked their fingers. "I hope that I will eventually. I mean, I believe in you, and you believe in me, so I guess that means I sort of believe in myself by extension? I don't know. Does that make sense?"

"Uh... kinda?"

She pondered for a second. "What I mean is... I have something to believe in, now that I know you believe in me."

"What? Okay, now you're just quoting musicals on me."

"You weren't supposed to know that!" she shrieked, causing them both to burst into a fit of giggles.

After they eventually calmed down, Timmy cleared his throat and glanced down at their intertwined hands. “Promise me you’ll keep being nice to yourself after I leave?”

“I’ll try my best," she said honestly. "Promise me you’ll be nicer to the people in your timeline, especially Thor?”

“Well, I don't know about Thor...”

“Timmy!”

He laughed. “Okay, okay! I’ll try my best.”

“Good,” she smiled. “You know, as much as you try to deny it, the secret’s out, Timmy. You’re a sweet boy, or dare I say”—she paused for dramatic effect—“a soft boy.”

Timmy sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“You’re not even gonna deny it?”

Right then, he gave her the fondest look that she had ever seen from him. It was such a stark contrast from that mischievous little grin that he often had on (“The Gremlin Grin™”, as Hattie called it), and it made her heart do a pretty accurate impression of the speed one could achieve while wearing a sprint hat.

“Honestly, I can’t. At least, not anymore. I mean…” Taking a deep breath, he put a hand on her cheek and leant in a little bit closer to her. “You’re the one who made me soft, Bow.”

"I-I am?"

“Yeah.”

Not even realizing that she was leaning in as well, she whispered, "I'm glad I did, then."

Unfortunately, the world had decided to be cruel to them at that moment.

A thud sounded somewhere near the control panel, forcing them to separate only inches apart.

“Really?” they both groaned, turning towards the source of the noise.

Instead of seeing Hattie, Mu, or even Rumbi standing by the ship’s hatch, a certain slender black cat with a left eye that was significantly narrower than the right hopped to his feet, clearly hiding something behind his back.

“Johnny? What are you doing here?” Bow asked her former babysitter slowly, reluctantly separating from Timmy. “Actually, how’d you even get in?”

“Oh, you know!” He shot them a clearly forced and very strained grin. “I heard that the boy was leaving, so I came to say goodbye! As for how I got in, well—”

“Wait a minute.” Timmy hopped to his feet, assuming a defensive stance. “What are you holding?”

Johnny began to sweat. “Would you believe me if I said flowers?”

“No.”

“Chocolate?”

“No.”

“…A very large egg?”

Timmy thought for a moment. “Yeah, I believe that last one,” he nodded, relaxing his stance. “Okay! Bye, Johnny! I kinda want to get back to what we were doing, so…”

Glancing behind the couch, Bow noticed that a certain object that should’ve been there, well, wasn’t. Getting to her feet as well, she nudged Timmy. “Something’s missing,” was all she said.

Timmy looked at her in confusion before his eyes widened. “My baby boy!” he gasped, marching over to Johnny. “Give me back Brad!”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“The time piece,” Bow clarified, cautiously taking a few steps closer to the both of them. “Please don’t tell me you have it. Please tell me I’m wrong. You don’t have it… right?”

Much to her dismay, Johnny sighed and unveiled Brad from behind his back.

Bow's eyes widened.

“I didn’t want to do this, but sometimes in life, you don't get to choose what you want,” he said, bowing his head. “I’m sorry, Bow.”

“For wh—”

Johnny threw a smoke bomb on the ground, causing the area around them to go all foggy. Coughing, Bow began to stumble around blindly, attempting to reach for Timmy so she wouldn’t lose him.

“Timmy! Where are you?”

Something landed on the floor with a very loud thud nearby, followed by what sounded like the glass door on the ship’s window opening and slamming shut. In an attempt to somewhat defend herself, Bow took out her bat and held it out in front of her, trying to find Timmy in the smoke with her free hand.

“Timmy!” she cried once more, the lack of response doing nothing to soothe her growing anxiety.

She called his name over and over, each time getting more distressed than the last. But when the smoke finally cleared…

Johnny, Brad, and Timmy were all gone.

"No..." Bow fell to her knees and dropped her bat, barely registering Mu coming up to her side.

“Bow!” Mu knelt down beside her and gently began to shake her. “I heard a loud thud, and when I came out to see what was going on, there was smoke everywhere! Did one of my smoke bombs go off?”

Bow didn’t respond.

“Bow? Why aren’t you… wait. Where’s Timmy?”

“Gone,” was all she replied.

“Gone? What do you mean gone? Did he leave us already?”

Bow fell silent once more.

Sensing that Bow wasn’t going to give her any answers, Mu stood up and began to run towards the laboratory. “Hattie! Hey! Get in here! Timmy’s gone!”

How could this have happened? Johnny would never betray her like that! He’s known her since she was little; surely that meant something to him, right? How did he even know about the time piece? Who even told—

Suddenly, it hit her.

She was the reason he knew.

Back when she and Timmy were at his shop in the metro, she told him about the time piece when Timmy was staring off into space, which led to the Nyakuza gang attacking them later that day. And the reason why Johnny told the Nyakuza in the first place and had a smoke bomb was because... he worked for the Empress.

Johnny was a part of one of the most feared organized crime groups on the planet.

This all happened because she was so, so…

 _Naïve,_ scoffed the weight in her mind. _Way to put your heart over your head, Bow. The person you care so deeply about was taken by the Nyakuza, along with one of the most powerful objects in the universe. Good pecking job. You screwed everything up, as usual._

“I didn’t…” her voice wavered as she began to hold onto herself. “I didn’t know he was a part of the Nyakuza."

_Really? You didn’t? Are you actually this stupid?_

"I—"

_What about the cat mask on the counter of his shop, huh? His suspicious answers whenever you asked him about his job? Deep down, you knew, but you never paid attention to those red flags because you’re so naïve and want to believe that there’s good deep down in everyone. What if there’s no good in anyone? Get your head out of the clouds and face reality._

Tears began to well up in Bow’s eyes. “I thought I could trust him.”

_Yeah, just like when you thought you could be nicer to yourself. Just face the facts, idiot. You're the one who got Timmy captured because you opened up your stupid mouth and told Johnny about the time piece. It's all your fault. Look at you, crying on the ground like the pathetic child you are. You can't even do anything about this. Worthless. Unimportant. Useless piece of—_

…No.

No. She wasn’t going to fall into this trap again. Not now. Not ever.

Bow took a few deep breaths. They were a bit shaky at first, but they eventually began to even out as she closed her eyes and focused on her heartbeat.

“I made a mistake,” she admitted, trying to keep her voice steady. “There’s no denying that fact. However, a simple slip-up does not mean that I’m useless. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to trust Johnny, but what matters is that there’s still time to fix it.” Slowly, she let go of herself and stood up.

Hattie rushed out of the laboratory, nearly crashing into Rumbi in the process. “Bow, Timmy left!?” She ran up to Bow’s side, Mu not too far behind her. “What happened?”

“He didn’t leave. He was taken,” Bow clarified, picking her bat off of the ground.

Mu’s eyes widened. “By who?”

“The Nyakuza.” Bow tightened her grip on the weapon. “Johnny took both him and the time piece.”

Hattie gasped. “Johnny!? That was your old babysitter, right?”

Bow nodded. “I might have made a mistake in trusting him, and I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it! We’ve all messed up in some shape or form! Nobody’s gonna blame you for wanting to trust someone who’s been in your life for that long,” Mu reassured her, patting Bow on the shoulder.

“Mu’s right. We’re gonna get him back!” Hattie agreed. “No cat takes our Trash Boy from us, right Bow?”

Bow was quiet for a while, then, “Yeah." A small smile spread across her face. “He’s our weird trash gremlin boy, and we’re gonna get both him and the time piece back.”

Mu cheered. “That’s the spirit, Bow! Now, let’s go fight some bad cats!”

“Let’s do it,” Bow affirmed, nodding in determination. “We’ve got this.”

Turning to the hatch, Bow relaxed her shoulders, mentally readying herself for the challenges to come. It wouldn’t be easy, but she was going to do her best.

Even if they weren’t just co-op players anymore, they still stuck together, and she was going to rescue him.

For the first time ever, she thought to herself, _I’ve got this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you remember, I mentioned that the name Johnny was supposed to be a placeholder name for this cat, but I just... never got around to changing it. The real reason why his name's Johnny is because I kept going "Johnny, Johnny! Yes papa? Taking the time piece? No, papa!" as a joke during the early stages of Co-op. The joke got taken too far when I couldn't come up with another name for him.
> 
> Anywho, join us next time on Co-op for, dare I say, the worstest kidnappers ever. 0/10. Terrible reviews on Yelp.


	15. The Worstest Kidnappers Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly should just change my username to mitosis, because guess what happened to this chapter?? Yeah, it split into two. The second part to this will be out in a couple of days or so, so the more "interesting" part of this journey will be a little delayed. I did have a lot of fun writing Timmy being a little gremlin, so there's that!
> 
> Speaking of The Boy(TM), two of my friends and I were talking about how Timmy actually does have brain cells- or, well, /one/ brain cell. It bounces around his head like the DVD logo, and every time it hits a corner, he experiences a thought. Also I don't know how I managed to avoid giving a certain pair of cats very unfitting names in chapter 7, but I couldn't escape the temptation this time-

Not gonna lie, Timmy was a hundred percent done with passing out.

Now that he was thinking about it, him losing consciousness seemed to be a staple of his experience in this timeline. In fact, if he had a dollar for every time he fainted, he’d have five dollars. One for when he was in the time rift, three for each of the blobs, and one for getting bonked on the head with a baseball bat by some cat.

Was it enough to buy a whole lot of colorful straws that he could chuck at Thor while he was tinkering away on some dumb invention? Yes. Did he ever end up getting those five dollars? No!

Timmy was beginning to think he had been robbed of his hypothetical money.

At the very least, this was a nice opportunity for him to catch up on some sleep. All of that caffeine from those energy drinks he constantly drank was most heinously messing with his sleep cycle (no, he did _not_ have a problem), and honestly, it was kind of nice to take a nap, even if it was against his own will.

“Hey, kid,” a nasally, yet oddly recognizable voice said from somewhere in front of him. “Get up. We’ve got some questions for you.”

“Five more minutes,” Timmy mumbled in reply, shifting in his seat. It was kind of hard getting comfortable when he was tied to a chair, but if he—

Wait. Tied to a chair?

His eyes flew open, immediately noticing that he was in some sort of dimly lit backroom. He couldn’t see too much, but there was a lot of cash and a few assorted gems scattered across the floor and piled up against the walls. A little ways away from him, there was a screen that read some sort of money count in neon blue letters. Instead of rising or staying stagnant, however, the count was steadily going down. And, of course, in front of him stood two very familiar feline faces who seemed quite happy to get their revenge.

“Oh no,” Timmy groaned. “Not you two again.”

“That’s right, kid!” the petite cat who led the attack against them five months ago sneered. “This is why you don’t mess with the Nyakuza, because we’ll always come back to get you!”

“Yeah!” the long-faced cat agreed, punching his fist to the palm of his hand. “Don’t think I forgot how your little friend made my brother explode into a bunch of pons a little while back!”

The first cat turned to the second and gave him a concerned look. “How is your brother, by the way?”

The long-faced cat shrugged. “He’s fine. He just has a broken arm.”

Timmy’s face scrunched up in confusion. “Wait, wait, wait. He exploded into a bunch of pons and he ended up breaking his arm? What the peck kind of logic is that?”

“Seriously, kid? Don’t you know how cats work?” the shorter one scoffed, crossing his arms. “We’ve got nine lives, and as long as we’ve still got some lives left to go around, well…” He stomped closer to Timmy and narrowed his eyes at him. “The Nyakuza will always go after people who oppose the Empress.”

“Okay, that makes sense, but how did he end up breaking his arm?”

The cat let out a dry chuckle. “Do you really think we’re gonna tell you? That information is on a need-to-know basis and _you_ don’t need to know!”

“He fell out of a tree,” said the other one.

“Todd! We’ve been over this. Don’t say things that aren’t intimidating! It ruins our image!”

“Oh, sorry, Pierre!”

“Wow, I’m _so_ scared right now,” Timmy murmured sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Hey, quick tip: if you’re gonna kidnap me, do it right, okay? Kidnappers are supposed to be threatening, and I’m kinda… not really feeling it right now. So, I’m just gonna blast out of here. See ya!”

Although his hands were tied up behind the chair, he was still able to charge up an energy blast in them. However, before he could attempt to fire it and free himself in the process, a very tall feline who was standing by the door cleared her throat.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” she warned, making her way over to him.

“B-boss!” The short cat, or Pierre, shrieked. “I didn’t know you were in here!” He jumped away from Timmy and gave the cat a nervous laugh.

Not even bothering to answer him, she took out a remote from her coat pocket and pressed a button on it, causing the screen reading the money count to change. It switched to a live feed of the metro, specifically showing the area near the guide desk in the main station. Hattie, Mu, and Bow were quietly conversing to the left of the desk, paying no attention to the massive crowd of cats who were staring them down nearby.

The cat, who Timmy just now realized had a big scar on her left eye, smirked at his shocked expression upon seeing his friends. “Know them?” she asked, feigning a tone of innocence. “What a coincidence. I do too. In fact, I have a little bit of _history_ with one of them.”

Timmy felt the energy blast growing a bit stronger. “Don’t you dare touch them.”

“Oh, I won’t. Not while I have other people to do that for me.” She pointed to the cats on the screen, causing Timmy to notice that they were all holding bats. “If you put that magic away, child, I might reconsider sending those cats after them. They are my most skilled employees, after all. They almost never miss their target.”

Despite giving her a nasty glare, Timmy recalled his magic. “Fine. You win.”

“Now _those_ are words I like to hear,” she smirked, putting the remote back in her coat pocket. “Tell me, child. What do you know about this?” She snapped her fingers, and Todd, the long-faced cat, handed Brad over to her.

Timmy gasped. “Get your hands off of my son!”

The feline faltered at the comment for a brief moment before regaining her intimidating persona. “Yes. Quite a powerful object indeed, hmm? Rumor has it that this hourglass has the ability to travel between timelines, isn’t that right?”

When Timmy didn’t answer, Pierre spoke up. “That’s right, boss! Once we figure out how to work this thing, this jewelry store will be in every single timeline, and we’ll be rich!”

“Wait a minute.” Timmy gave the cats a weird look, his nerves forgotten. “That’s your motivation!? Building more jewelry stores!? No offense, but that’s a really weak reason to want this time piece. Also, who’s to say that your store doesn’t already exist in other timelines? If anything, you’d waste so much time trying to figure out what timeline doesn’t have this business, and even then—”

“You have some nerve, questioning me, child. Don’t you know who you’re dealing with?” the cat with the scar hissed, leaning in closer to him. “Don’t you know who I am?”

“Nope!” He shook his head. “Sorry, dude.”

“What?” Pierre looked at him like he was crazy. “She’s the Empress!”

“Who?”

“She’s the owner of Le Félin! You know, the jewelry store we’re in right now?”

Timmy tilted his head in confusion.

“The leader of the Nyakuza?”

He just stared at him blankly.

“A very powerful and very feared crime boss in the metro?”

“Oh, yeah. Her! Yeah, I totally know who that is… yeah…” Timmy said weakly, looking away from him. “I definitely remember everything different about this timeline and totally haven’t forgotten.”

“You have no idea who she is, do you?”

“Not a pecking clue!”

Pierre sighed and turned to Todd. “I thought you put a cloth over his mouth so we wouldn’t have to deal with his annoying voice every single second.”

“I did!” Todd clarified, putting his hands on his hips. “He ate it in his sleep.”

Timmy’s eyes widened. “That’s why I had a dream about an all-you-can-eat buffet before I woke up!”

“This boy’s incompetence over the simplest of things doesn’t matter right now,” the Empress huffed, making her way towards the door. “All that matters is that he knows how to work this for us.” She gestured to the time piece before putting it in her coat pocket. “Make sure he talks. After all, it would be a shame if there were a few less jobs in the metro… or a few less _lives.”_ With that, she slipped out of the room and slammed the door behind her, causing everyone to jump.

Immediately putting on a façade of indifference, Timmy scoffed. “Don’t even think about trying to intimidate me,” he smirked. “What are you gonna do to get me to talk? Scratch up a wall? Cough up a hairball? Meow at me?”

“Well, kid, I was hoping we could do this the easy way, but it looks like you’re too annoying for that,” Pierre sighed. “Todd? Get ready. It’s time for torture method number fifty-eight.”

“Fifty-eight!?” Todd yelped. “Isn’t that a little, I don’t know, extreme? We haven’t done that method in years!”

“You heard the boss! Our jobs and lives are on the line! It’s the only way to get this boy to talk.”

After a few seconds of hesitation, Todd solemnly nodded and sat down. “You have a point, Pierre. Let’s do it.” He pulled out a box of cereal and a carton of milk out of a nearby box, much to Timmy’s ever-growing confusion.

 _Alright, dude,_ the funky noodle in his head said. _No matter what weird thing they do to you, you gotta stay calm and not give in. Don’t give into them or your fear. No matter what happens, don’t tell them how Brad works._

How would Timmy even avoid doing that, though? They were obviously looking for some sort of information, but what would he even say to them? It's not like he knew a whole lot about the time piece in the first place...

Pierre pulled out two bowls and spoons from the box and sat down beside Todd. "Get ready to be tortured, kid," he said, putting down the silverware and taking the milk from his friend.

Timmy raised an eyebrow. “Are you two just gonna eat breakfast in front of me?" he questioned, doing his best not to burst into laughter. "Oh no. So scary. I'd run crying to my mom if I knew who she was.”

Pierre unscrewed the carton’s lid. “Trust me, kid, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

“What do you—”

Chuckling mischievously, Pierre poured the milk in the bowls _before_ Todd added the cereal, much to Timmy’s despair. Then, as both cats stared into his soul, they took a bite out of their edible abomination.

“NO! THAT’S NOT HOW YOU EAT CEREAL! YOU DON’T POUR IN THE MILK FIRST! STOP EATING THAT MONSTROSITY!”

“Hey, Pierre?” Todd started, ignoring the boy’s outburst. “You know what I was thinking?”

“No, what were you thinking, Todd?”

“I was just thinking…” Todd gave Timmy a smirk. “Hot dogs are better than chicken nuggets.”

Timmy gasped. “LIES! SLANDER!”

“What a valid point, Todd!” Pierre nodded. “You wanna know what I was thinking?”

“What?”

Shooting Timmy an evil grin, he replied, “The burger plush belongs on _the left side of the room.”_

Timmy screamed. “OKAY, OKAY! I’LL TELL YOU HOW THE TIME PIECE WORKS! JUST PLEASE STOP IT WITH THE TORTURE!”

Almost immediately, the cats sprung to their feet and ran over to Timmy, their should-be-illegal food activities forgotten.

“So? Spit it out, kid! We don’t have all day!” Pierre urged.

Timmy sighed in defeat. “Okay, here’s what I know.”

The cats stared at him expectantly for a while, eagerly awaiting his information. However, when about ten minutes passed by without him saying anything, they both faltered.

“Uh, kid?” Todd stared at him weirdly. “Are you gonna tell us what you know, or…?”

“Just did!” Timmy grinned. “I don’t know anything!”

Pierre blinked. “What.”

“Yeah! I mean, there was a time where I knew a lot about the time piece, but I forgot it all.” He moved his gaze elsewhere and shrugged. “I wasn’t really paying attention to the explanation I got, anyway.”

Pierre glared at him for a moment before looking at someone behind Timmy. “Why couldn’t you get the one with the bow, Johnny? She’s smarter than him.”

“Hey!” Timmy cried. “I mean, you’re right, but—wait. Johnny’s here?”

As if on cue, Johnny emerged from somewhere behind his chair, causing Timmy to let out a little groan.

“Oh, great. It’s you. You gonna betray me too?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at the cat.

Choosing to ignore him, Johnny responded, “I didn’t know where the bow-wearing one was at all. I could only find the boy alongside the time piece, so I just settled with him.”

“Just settled?” Timmy repeated, highly offended. “I am not someone you ‘just settle’ with. I deserve to be chosen—”

“Shut the peck up,” Pierre hissed.

“Okay.”

At that moment, a loud crash sounded outside of the room, accompanied with a few shrieks of surprise.

“Empress!” Timmy heard Hattie shout. “Give us back our Trash Boy!”

“Yeah! Don’t make us do this the hard way!” Mu agreed.

“The hard way?” The Empress let out a dark chuckle. “Do you really think I’m afraid of a bunch of children?”

“You’d better be! Besides, I’ve beaten you once, and I can beat you again!” Hattie shot back. Timmy imagined her crossing her arms defiantly, giving the Empress a smug look. “Unless… you’re too scared to try again?”

“Might I remind you that you managed to escape from my claws merely by happenstance? As long as you’re here, luck won’t be so kind to you.” A snap was then heard, presumably made by the Empress. “Whichever one of you can bring me the bow one or the mustached one will see a considerable rise in their paycheck, but whoever brings me the hat child will inherit a fortune.”

“A fortune!?” Pierre gasped, turning to Todd. “Do you know what that means!?”

“We can finally spend some money fixing the weak ceiling and not waste it all on cat crimes?”

“What? No. It means that we’ll be rich, _and_ we’ll forever be on the Empress’ good side! That’s two benefits for the price of one!”

Todd hesitated. “I don’t know… weren’t we supposed to get the information out of the boy? If the Empress knows that we ran off when we were supposed to be doing that-”

“We already did get the information out of him! This stupid boy doesn’t know anything!”

“Guys, I’m right here,” Timmy frowned.

Todd hummed in thought, tapping his finger to his chin. His eyes darted between Pierre and Timmy for a while before he nodded. “You’re right, Pierre,” he said. “Johnny, can you watch over the boy for us? Pierre and I are gonna move up in the world!”

“Now you’re talking sense!” Pierre cheered.

“Yeah, whatever. Go,” Johnny sighed, waving a hand dismissively. “I’ll keep trying to get information out of this kid. Who knows? Maybe he’s not as clueless as we think he is.”

The two cats ran out of the backroom, talking excitedly amongst themselves. Immediately following their departure, chaos seemed to erupt in the jewelry store, complete with screaming and glass shattering.

“TAKE THIS!” Mu hollered, an explosion following her words. “THAT’S WHAT YOU GET FOR TAKING OUR FRIEND!”

“Oh, yeah? Well, take THIS!” A cat cried, before another explosion sounded.

“You think that’s all I have!? Well, have ANOTHER!”

“WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SMOKE BOMBS!? I CAN’T SEE!” Another cat screamed.

Wow, there must have been a really epic battle going on out there.

Too bad Timmy couldn’t see it.

Deciding not to pay attention to that, he shook his head and turned back to Johnny. “What’s your deal, dude? You do realize you betrayed the person you used to babysit, right? She’s probably really angry right now and it’s all your fault!” Timmy snapped. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t blast you with my magic right now.”

“…I lied.”

Timmy stopped. “What?”

“When I said that I couldn’t find Bow, I lied. I saw her in the smoke, but I couldn’t…” Johnny looked away from him. “I couldn’t betray Bow like that. I didn’t have the heart to knock her out and bring her here. Despite everything, I still really care for her.”

“Then why’d you take me and Brad hostage? If you really cared for her, you wouldn’t have done that, because now she’s out there fighting some really dangerous battle because of me!” After a few seconds, Timmy’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait. She’s putting herself in danger because of me…?”

“Kid, I really didn’t want to do this,” the cat admitted. “Believe me, I didn’t. But sometimes, you don’t get to choose what you want.”

“You said that before,” Timmy commented, shifting as much as he could in his chair. “What does that mean?”

Johnny glanced at the door and slumped his shoulders. “When I was a bit younger, I started up a little café in the metro. I didn’t make enough to support myself, sadly, so I tried to see if I could find other ways to make money.” He sat down in front of Timmy, wincing at another explosion that rang out from the store. “I tried babysitting, but I really only had one client, and that still wasn’t enough. So, I did what any struggling cat in the metro would do in my situation.”

Timmy nodded wisely. “You created a chicken nugget-flavored energy drink and sold it on the Mafia Town black market for double the price it should’ve been and accidentally became a criminal while doing so.”

“Yeah, I—what? No! I joined the Nyakuza!”

“Oh, yeah. That makes more sense,” Timmy chuckled awkwardly. “It doesn’t seem like you want to work for the Empress anymore, to be honest. If that’s the case, why don’t you just quit?”

“Just quit?” the cat repeated, a half-hearted laugh escaping him. “Yeah, I wish, but no.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you get it? The Empress is the most powerful person in the metro, maybe even the entire planet. You can’t just leave the Nyakuza, and you can’t oppose her without there being dire consequences,” he said, a solemn look overtaking his face. “I want to leave, I really do, but she was starting to get suspicious as to why I hadn’t been doing her dirty work for her lately. I had to do this so I wouldn’t get hurt, or worse…”

Timmy was quiet for a while, the implications of what Johnny just said to him slowly starting to sink in. “The Empress is really that dangerous, huh?”

The cat made a noise of confirmation. “Your friends are out there messing with the most powerful cat, and they’re risking their lives by doing so. I hate to say this, but your friends…” He met Timmy’s eyes. “There’s a really big chance that your friends might die here.”

That sentence alone was enough to send a chill down Timmy’s spine. “Die?” His hands began to tremble. “But, if they’re here because of me, then… if they died… it’d be all my fault.”

Johnny’s eyes widened. “Woah, kid. Are you doing alright? Those little blue lines on your face just turned—”

Timmy took a deep breath, waiting for the buzzing in his face markings to go down before speaking again. “You need to get me out of here. I need to help them! I need to make sure they’re okay!”

“Kid—”

“If you’re not gonna do it for me, do it for Bow! You know she didn’t deserve being betrayed like that.” When Johnny didn’t say anything, Timmy let out a huff and continued on. “Look. I have full faith in my friends. I know they’re gonna win this fight, no matter how many cats are against them. But if something happened to them—if something happened to _Bow…_ I wouldn’t forgive myself, and I know you wouldn’t either. It may feel like you don’t have a choice in the things that happen to you, but you can still choose to do the right thing! So, please. Let me go.”

“…You’re really gonna put yourself into danger just to make sure your friends are okay?”

“It’s the right thing to do,” Timmy said firmly. “Putting others in front of yourself, that is.”

Johnny glanced at him for a moment, an unreadable expression crossing his face. Then, he sighed in defeat. “The Empress is an extremely powerful enemy,” he cautioned, standing up and walking behind Timmy’s chair. “There are rumors going around the metro that she can kill you with one measly swipe of her claws. I can only assume that she’s making all of the other cats do her dirty work for her right now, but if she gets involved at all… be careful. You never know if that rumor’s true.” He began to untie the ropes around Timmy’s hands and legs. “Stay sharp, kid.”

When he was finally free, Timmy rubbed his sore wrists and shot him a small smile. “Thanks. You did the right thing.”

“I can only hope that I keep doing that, then.” Johnny then looked up and inspected the ceiling for a while until his eyes landed on a certain spot. “If the ceiling’s weak, then maybe something else is too,” he murmured to himself.

Before Timmy ask what he was talking about, Johnny took a spoon from one of the bowls and tossed it at a vent. Through a stroke of luck (and the laws of physics being blatantly ignored), two of its screws came undone, causing it to open.

“Wow, that’s a really loose vent! How the peck did that even work?” Timmy wondered aloud. “Is that really what those cats meant by the ceiling being weak? Wow. Maybe the Empress _should_ spend some of that money on fixing it. I guess she's gotta set her priorities straight, huh?”

Johnny walked over to the spot directly under the vent and stared at it for a bit. Then, meeting eyes with Timmy one final time, he remarked, “You’re a good boyfriend. I can see why she likes you.” And with that, he jumped into the vent, no boost needed.

“Did he just… jump in the vent?” Timmy questioned, standing up and looking at the ceiling in wonder. “Well, that’s one way to make an exit, I guess. That was kind of extra, though. I’ll give that exit a six out of ten.” He gave Johnny a short round of applause. "Alright, then. Time to—"

“Hello, young one.”

Letting out a noise of surprise, Timmy whirled around to see the Badge Seller standing behind his chair.

“Forgive me for the scare, that was not my intention,” they said, although they seemed to have enjoyed startling him a little bit, as evident by the playful smile on their mask. “I was not able to find your friend fast enough for my liking, and I was beginning to grow concerned over your predicament. So, I decided to come back to help you.”

“No offense, my dude, but that’s already done. See?” Timmy held up his hands. “I’m free now!”

“I wasn’t referring to that, but I am happy that you are alright in that regard.” They stepped a bit closer to Timmy, looking him up and down. “I think I need to assist you with your magic.”

Timmy furrowed his eyebrows. “Magic? But I’ve already got a teacher! MJ!”

“I wish no offense to your teacher, but he obviously didn’t tutor you well enough if you are suffering from a magic overload.”

“Magic overload? What’s that?”

Evading his question, the Badge Seller instead asked, “Could you summon an energy ball for me? It doesn’t have to be big or anything. I just want to see something.”

Reluctantly deciding to obey, Timmy created a small energy ball in his hands, noticing with relief when it emerged as the normal shade of lilac. However, when a loud thud rang out in the jewelry store, followed by a scream that sounded eerily similar to Bow’s voice, the energy turned a deep shade of red. Panicking, Timmy diffused his magic.

“Just as I feared,” the Badge Seller stated solemnly. “There is too much magic in you, and some of it doesn’t even belong to you. If you keep going on like this, you will lose control of your magic.”

“Uh, no, I won’t!” Timmy folded his arms, trying to push down any feelings of anxiety as a result of their comment. “MJ told me how to not lose control of my magic, and I’ve been doing fine ever since then! So what if I have some extra magic in me? I’m fine!”

“Exactly how did your teacher tell you not to lose control of your magic?” the Badge Seller questioned, putting both of their hands on their cane. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten, young one, because if you’re so adamant about not losing control, I have a feeling that you recall this information very clearly.”

Timmy deflated. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, the Badge Seller was right. Despite only remembering bits and pieces of MJ’s magic lessons, Timmy could very clearly recall the day where the warning about fear was practically hammered into his brain.

It was pretty early on in his training, so Timmy was around the age of thirteen, and hadn’t quite yet emerged as the cool dude he was today. He had also been battling the horrifying monsters known as embarrassing voice cracks, but Timmy really didn’t want to talk about that part.

He remembered making his way over to the horizon, waving at any dwellers that passed him by and doing his best to avoid that annoying bush cat that always tried to get him to pet it. Timmy had felt pretty excited for this lesson; apparently MJ was going to teach him some sick new trick that he could do with his powers!

As soon as the horizon was in sight, Timmy had waved excitedly to his friend, who was floating around the sky, absentmindedly fiddling with one of the red strings he had summoned a few moments prior.

“Sup, MJ?” Timmy grinned, prompting him to snap out of whatever daze he was in.

“Ah, hello!” Recalling his red strings, MJ turned to Timmy and gave him a confused stare. “You have a blanket?”

Timmy glanced down at the fluffy red blanket he was holding. “Oh, yeah! I don’t know where it came from, actually. I stayed overnight at Thor’s factory to pull a prank on him when he came in bright and early, but I feel asleep and woke up with this thing on me. Actually, now that I think about it, this isn’t the first time that’s happened…” He thought for a moment before shrugging. “Maybe Thor has some stupid invention that puts blankets on sleeping people. Weird, right?”

“Indeed. It is quite peculiar, young prince.”

“Wait, why do you always call me that?” he asked, giving MJ a confused, albeit cautious stare. “I mean, not that I mind, of course. I’d be a pretty radical prince.” Timmy then struck a regal pose, causing his friend to laugh.

MJ waved a hand dismissively, still chuckling to himself. “There are no implications, my friend. It is merely only a nickname that I use for you.”

“Oh, okay!” Timmy said, before an excited look overtook his features. “Alright, MJ! What’s this cool new trick you were gonna show me? Are you gonna show me how to breathe fire? You’re gonna teach me how to have fire breath, right!? I knew it!”

“No, no. That’s not it, I’m afraid.”

He pouted. “Aww.”

“It may not be as glamorous as wielding a dangerous flame, but it can be just as fun, perhaps even more.” His eyes landed on a nearby dweller, who was floating by the two friends without a care in the world. Grinning an almost maniacal grin, red strings shot out of MJ’s hands and entered the dweller’s body, causing it to stop in its tracks and go limp.

In hindsight, maybe getting magic advice from a person who wasn’t the most stable sometimes might not have been the best idea. But hey, Timmy was never really that picky when it came to selecting magic teachers. Besides, MJ had volunteered to teach him without even needing to be asked, so Timmy was willing to let a few quirks slide for the sake of learning magic.

Timmy gasped. “What did you just do!?”

“Calm down, my friend. You cannot kill what is already dead.” Using the strings, MJ pulled the dweller towards himself. “Look at what I can do!”

“Hello, young prince! It is I, the Moonjumper!” the dweller said in a monotone voice. “I am speaking to you through a dweller. Isn’t that something?”

“That’s kinda creepy…” Timmy admitted. “But still kinda cool! Is it okay, though?”

MJ scoffed. “It is perfectly fine. You do not need to worry about its condition.” He then let go of his hold on the dweller, watching as it hurriedly flew off into the forest away from him. “Today’s magic lesson will be on energy transfer.”

“You’re gonna teach me how to do… that?”

“Well, not quite. You see, despite you and I having powers that deal with the magic of energy, the process of energy transfer will be very different for the both of us.”

“Oh,” Timmy nodded. “So, how do I—”

MJ shook his head. “Not so fast, my friend. Do you remember the phrase that I taught you a week ago?”

“Of course,” Timmy grumbled. “How could I forget? You literally took up an entire lesson ranting about it.”

“Would you mind repeating it for me?”

Timmy rolled his eyes. “As a magic user, it is im… imper… in-peer-ate-cliff…”

“Imperative.”

“Yeah, yeah. It is imperative to not give into your fear, because if left unchecked, fear will be your enemy, and death its consequence.”

MJ gave him a round of applause. “Well done, young prince!”

“Thanks, dude!”

“I have been doing some thinking on that phrase, though.” MJ floated a bit farther away from him, apparently choosing to face the horizon instead of Timmy. “Maybe telling you not to give into your fear isn’t good… enough. Maybe, just maybe, you shouldn’t be feeling it at all.”

“Not feel my fear? But isn’t that, I don’t know…” Timmy gripped the blanket a bit tighter. “Isn’t that kinda impossible?”

“As a magic user, every single emotion that we feel can be incredibly dangerous. After all, you’ve seen what magic can do to people like myself… or _Vanessa.”_

They both shuddered at the name.

“Magic is a dangerous art,” MJ had said, turning back to Timmy. “It not only reflects who we are, but it reflects who we can become.” At that point, he had met eyes with Timmy, the intensity of his stare immediately making Timmy uncomfortable. “Don’t give into your fear. Don’t _feel_ your fear.”

Timmy remembered MJ floating as close to him as the horizon would allow, forcing Timmy to back up a bit. “MJ, what are you—”

“Young prince, if you’re going to listen to one thing that I say during this lesson, listen to this.” MJ’s voice had taken on an extremely stern tone at this point, effectively making him go quiet. “Don’t let history repeat itself with you _. Don’t become a monster.”_

Unfortunately, Timmy couldn’t recall the rest of the lesson after that point. It was a shame, seeing as the rest of it probably would’ve helped him with his magic predicament.

It did beg a certain question, though. Was MJ right in telling Timmy not to feel his fear at all? Timmy really only followed the “don’t give into your fear” rule, but as of recently, he was starting to reconsider that.

Realizing that the Badge Seller was still waiting on a response, he explained, “All I remember is MJ telling me that feelings are dangerous, and that I shouldn’t feel my fear.”

“Not _feel?”_ The Badge Seller’s eyes widened. “Young one, I assume that I don’t have to tell you how bad of an idea that is.”

Timmy was about to agree, he really was—but at that moment, he remembered what had happened to him with the blob in the Subcon Village. Maybe that problem wasn’t caused by him giving into his fear.

Maybe it was caused by him feeling it in the first place.

Before he could respond, the Badge Seller held up their hand. “We will tackle the emotional aspect later. For now, we just need to get this magic out of you.”

“What?” Timmy stepped back. “Why?”

“The number one rule of energy transfer is to always give the magic back to its original source. Believe me, I learned that the hard way.” The Badge Seller looked off into the distance, a melancholic expression crossing their mask. “I see a lot of myself in you, Timmy. When I was younger and a lot more reckless, I absorbed a lot of magic from the various timelines that I visited. I only blame myself for being so curious. In fact, that’s how I ended up like this.” They gestured to their twitchy form. “Since I have no way of knowing who or what I took magic from, I sell these badges as a way to get the magic out of me and to help whoever buys from me in the process. It’s, as the kids say, a win-win.”

“Okay, good for you, but I’m still not giving the magic back to the blobs!” Timmy protested. “I only absorbed the blobs’ magic because they were being hostile—actually, really only one of them was, but you would’ve done the same in my position! We had no other options!”

“But your magic—”

“My magic is fine. I know now that fear is bad, and if I just don’t feel it, I won’t lose control! And before you try to argue against me, I’ve seen what emotions like that can do to people like MJ… and Vanessa.” He clenched his hands into fists. “I mean, I was trapped in a block of ice for who knows how long because of her! I’m honestly really lucky that I couldn’t age in there, otherwise I would’ve lost so many years of my life.” Ignoring the pain that creeped into his voice, he shook his head and continued on. “The point is, I’m not giving the magic back. If the only thing that keeps me from losing control is not feeling my fear, then I’m gonna do it.”

The Badge Seller opened their mouth to respond, but was silenced by another explosion ringing out in the jewelry store. They were quiet for a bit until they moved their gaze back to Timmy.

“I sense that I can’t get through to you, at least, not right now. All I can tell you is to be careful with your magic,” they said, seeming quite defeated. “I should’ve known you would have placed more importance on advice that came from someone you are related to.”

Timmy froze. “What?”

Without even answering him, the Badge Seller teleported away, leaving him alone in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #TheBadgeSellerdeservesbetter!! I absolutely adore the Badge Seller (and their theme, that OST is a certified BOP), so writing Timmy brush off their advice just kinda made me go :/ Timmy, honey, don't get magic advice from morally questionable people. Listen to the Badge Seller.
> 
> Just to reiterate: Timmy did not age in the ice at all. He is emotionally, mentally, and physically 17. For some weird reason, it only paused his development and kept him frozen in time instead of killing him like all of Vanessa's other victims. Weird. Magic is weird.
> 
> Anyway, I think I became a fan of the "Thor actually does care about Timmy despite him being a little gremlin" headcanon because of Timmy Day 2. If Timmy were to stop pranking him for one second and actually interact with him like a normal person, he might see that. Their interactions were just basically Thor going "Hey, uh, be careful, kid" and Timmy responding like "Shut up old man I'm a RAAADICAAAL dude and I don't need help!" So, yeah.
> 
> Okay uh join us next time on Co-op where someone's worst fear comes to life and the weak ceiling strikes again!


	16. Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told my friends what happened in this chapter last Sunday and they gave me the most horrified looks in response... it felt great. No, you two, I will not stop making these characters suffer. It's fun.
> 
> All jokes aside, ow. My heart.

Timmy stood there for a bit, not even knowing how to process what had just happened.

Exactly what did the Badge Seller just say to him?

He wanted to shout into the empty room and demand that they come back and give him answers, but he found himself unable to move, let alone speak. His heart began to pound, its speed almost matching how quickly his hands had started to twitch.

Is that why MJ didn’t want history to repeat itself with him? Were MJ and Timmy really…?

If so, why didn’t MJ say anything? Timmy knew his friend wasn’t the most reliable or stable person, but he knew MJ cared for him. Why would he keep a secret that big? What was the point?

Noticing that his nerves were getting the best of him, he shook his head and closed his eyes.

_Don’t give in. Don’t feel. You can deal with this later… or never, preferably. Just forget about it._

“Right,” Timmy murmured to himself. “Don’t feel, don’t feel.”

The door slammed open, jolting Timmy out of his thoughts and forcing him to let out a little screech. Pierre was thrown into the room, hitting the floor with a resounding thud. He immediately backed himself into the wall, trying to make himself seem smaller.

“P-please,” the cat whimpered, holding his tail close to his chest. “You gotta understand! I only have three lives left!”

“Only three?” The person who tossed him in the room said, gripping her bat a little bit tighter. “Seems like you’ve been living quite recklessly, huh?” She slowly made her way over to him, watching as he began to tremble in fear. “Tell you what. I’ll let you go if you use the rest of those lives to stay far, far away from us. If you don’t, I promise that I won’t be as merciful as I am right now. Got it?”

Pierre rapidly bobbed his head up and down.

“Well, I don’t think you do, because _you_ _haven’t started running yet.”_

He yelped and bolted out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

A few seconds after his hasty departure, the person giggled. “You know,” she started, adjusting her bow, “I’m quite surprised that worked! I’m not too experienced in playing confident people, honestly. Plus, it has been a while since I’ve done any acting, so I was expecting to be super rusty and not come across as intimidating at all! Guess life is full of surprises, huh?” She turned to Timmy and smiled, causing his nerves to dwindle down a bit. “Hey! Sorry I wasn’t able to make it in earlier, but—”

“Bow!” He rushed up to her and practically tackled her in a tight hug. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Just a few scratches,” she said dismissively, returning the embrace. “Are _you_ okay? They didn’t do anything to hurt you, right?”

“Only emotionally,” Timmy responded. “They poured in milk before the cereal, told me that hot dogs are better than chicken nuggets, and they said the burger plush belongs on the left side of the room!” Reluctantly pulling away from the embrace, he grumbled, “Talk about the worstest kidnappers ever.”

“Worstest?” she repeated, giving him a weird look. “Okay, uh, anyway, I can only assume that they tried to get some information out of you, right? It’s okay if they forced you to tell them anything. I won’t blame you if you talked.”

“Actually, I didn’t tell them anything at all.” Regaining a bit of his confidence, he gave her a small smirk. “In fact, I just told them that I forgot everything! I mean, I didn’t even know much in the first place, but it worked like a charm! Sometimes, it takes being stupid to act stupid,” Timmy said, making her let out a little laugh. “Huh. I guess we’re both actors now, yeah?”

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “If they’re the worstest kidnappers, then we’re the bestest actors.” Bow was quiet for a bit before her voice took on a softer tone. “Hey, Timmy? You seemed, I don’t know, really conflicted and nervous over something before I came in. I know now’s not the best time to be having an emotional talk, but is everything alright?”

Thinking quickly, he replied, “Yeah. Just, uh… Johnny. He was the one who let me go, but I’m still kind of suspicious of him.”

“…Johnny let you go?”

“Yep,” he confirmed. “I’ll give you the details later. For now, we just have to grab Brad and get out of here, right?”

Bow nodded. “The Empress has him, and we can’t even get to her without a bunch of her minions crawling out of who-knows-where and attacking us! If it weren’t for all of the smoke bombs fogging up the jewelry store, I don’t think I would’ve been able to sneak in here.”

“Okay, so we need to take out the scary giant cat lady to make sure that the entire space-time continuum doesn’t collapse while avoiding her goons in the process.” Timmy put a hand to his chin. “I know I’m usually not the one to ask this, but do we have a plan?”

Bow’s shoulders slumped. “As of right now? No.”

“Alright. What are the odds?”

“The odds?” She scrunched her face up in thought. “Like… a million cats versus the four of us.”

“You know what? I like those odds.” Instinctively, Timmy charged up a ball of magical energy in his left hand. He almost panicked for a brief second, but realized with glee that his magic was his normal shade of lilac. Turning back to Bow, he grinned. “Let’s do this. We’ve got this, right?”

“Of course! I believe in us,” she smiled. “But I don’t believe in dog supremacy, so you’d better not spew that nonsense again.”

“Aww.”

Racing out of the backroom, Timmy and Bow were met with an incredibly foggy jewelry store. As Timmy started to cough thanks to the overwhelming amount of smoke in the air, he realized with dismay that he couldn’t even see five feet in front of him.

“In hindsight, maybe using all of these smoke bombs wasn’t such a good idea,” Bow chuckled nervously, patting his back. “It was a nice distraction that I could use to get to you without being detected, but I kinda… can’t see a single thing.”

As soon as she said that, a cat came charging out of the fog, holding his bat threateningly. But before either Bow or Timmy could even react, Mu emerged from the smoke and punched the feline right in the jaw, causing him to explode into a bunch of pons.

“Finally! Geez, that guy was so annoying, slipping away from me like that!” she huffed, shaking her head. When her eyes landed on Timmy, her face broke into a big grin. “Hey, it’s the Trash Boy! Glad to see you’re alright, buddy!”

“Well, you know. I’m too radical to be beaten by a bunch of cats.”

As they talked, Bow’s gaze moved to a cat running up behind Mu. Quickly springing into action, she sprinted over to him and hit him with her bat, watching as he flew back into the smoke.

“Thanks, Bow!” Mu gave her a thumbs up. “We’ll catch up later, Timmy. For now, we need to find Hattie and get your son back from the Empress.”

That was all Timmy needed to snap into his Radical Battle Mode™. “Viva la time piece!” he cried, running into the fog.

“Wait for us!” Bow began to chase after him, Mu following not too far behind her.

They ran into the same cat from before, but this time, he had two other cats with him to get his revenge. Wasting no time, Mu darted towards the tallest cat and tackled him, forcing him to let out a noise of surprise.

“Where’s my girlfriend!?” she cried, pushing him down to the floor.

“I don’t know who your girlfriend is! I don’t keep up with your love life!” the feline spat back, flailing his claws wildly.

After getting scratched on the cheek, Mu hissed in pain, shooting him an angry glare. “WRONG ANSWER!” she shot back, sucker-punching the cat in the face and defeating it.

Glancing at the ball of energy that was still in his hand, Timmy looked at Bow, who had just made the second cat explode with her beloved weapon. “Hey, Bow!” he shouted, gesturing between his magic and her bat. “Play ball!”

“Play ball?” She stared at him for a moment. “What are you—” Suddenly, the realization hit her, and a smile appeared on her face. “Oh, okay! Ready when you are!”

Timmy pitched the magical ball over to her, letting out a little cheer when she successfully hit it. The magic went flying towards the cat that led the attack against them, but he quickly dodged out of the way, making Timmy let out a little groan.

“This cat is so annoying!” he grumbled, firing an energy blast at him.

The Nyakuza member ducked under the blast. "Hah! You missed, kid!"

"Yeah, I can see that!"

The cat unsheathed his claws and charged towards him. Timmy was about to switch gears and fire one of his radical laser beams, but Mu stepped in before he had the chance. Sliding towards him, she swept the feline’s legs with her own, sending him tumbling towards the ground.

“She swept the leg!” Timmy gasped. “I didn’t know people actually did that in combat!”

“Well, I do, and I pecking nailed it!” Mu said proudly.

Still disoriented from the fall, the cat shakily attempted to stand up once more. “You won’t win! The Nyakuza will defeat you, and you’ll be sorry that you ever made an enemy of us! You’re going up against the most powerful crime gang in the entire—”

Bow slammed her bat onto his stomach, managing to get the final hit on him. “Geez. You’re right, that cat was annoying,” she commented, collecting the pons that came from him.

“We did it! In baseball, they call that a hole-in-one!” Timmy quipped, striking a very cool and epic pose.

Mu looked at weirdly. “That’s not what they call it at all, but okay,” she said, massaging her knuckles. “As for us winning, well…” She gestured to a crowd of cats who were stampeding towards them. “Let’s just say we’re not out of the woods yet.”

“Aw, peck. Here we go again,” Timmy groaned. Deciding to bite the bullet and use more of his powers, he levitated a few feet off in the air and fired a laser beam, managing to get rid of a few Nyakuza members in the process.

Mu had switched to using her bombs at this point, seeing as her knuckles were beginning to turn a bright red. She tossed a couple of her explosives towards a clump of cats, wiping out about three or four of them as a result. When she realized that the impact caused the survivors to go flying in Bow's direction, she called, "Heads up, Bow!"

Bow nodded, proceeding to swiftly take out the rest of them with her trusty bat as if she were some sort of baseball star.

"Goal!" Timmy grinned as soon as the last enemy exploded.

Bow raised an eyebrow. "Goal?"

"I mean... uh... touchdown?"

She just stared at him blankly.

"...Slam dunk?"

Silence.

"I don't know anything about baseball," he finally sighed, hanging his head in shame.

Mu facepalmed.

They kept on fighting their way through whatever Nyakuza members threatened to beat them senseless, managing to make it pretty far with only a couple scratches and bruises. The battle was starting to wear down the three teens, which did nothing to soothe the pit of anxiety that was starting to form in Timmy’s stomach. He wanted nothing more than to get the time piece and get out of there alive, but the seemingly endless barrage of cats was starting to make that seem impossible.

There needed to be a way to defeat a bunch of these felines at once, but how?

After levitating a cat and tossing it back into the smoke where it came from, an idea popped into Timmy’s head. He flew over to Bow and Mu, quickly blasting a Nyakuza cat who had managed to get a hit on the former.

“Guys! I have an idea!”

“Okay? What is it?” Mu asked, just narrowly avoiding the swipe of some feline’s paw.

Lowering himself closer to them, he whispered, “You’ll see. I’m gonna count to three, and all you need to do is jump after I'm done, alright?”

They both made a noise of confirmation.

Flying a bit higher once more, Timmy shouted, “One, two, three!”

He shot an energy beam at the floor, creating a shockwave that raced towards everyone that was currently on the ground. Bow and Mu hopped over it while the Nyakuza members were caught in its impact. Only four cats managed to survive the attack, but they finally seemed to get the right idea by rushing away from Timmy and his friends.

Fortunately, the smoke around them finally began to clear at that point, thanks to the lack of smoke bombs that were used. A few feet in front of them, a faint silhouette of Hattie could be seen making a cat explode with her umbrella’s laser.

A sigh of relief came from Mu. “Hattie!” she beamed, racing towards her.

Hattie turned towards her, a sound of joy escaping her upon finally seeing her girlfriend. “Mu!” she grinned, wrapping her up in a hug once she got close. “You’re okay!”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, but you!” Mu broke away from the embrace and accusingly pointed a finger at Hattie. “Don’t run off like that! Do you know how scared I’ve been for the past… I don’t even know how long!? The Empress is mainly going after you, and I’ve been worried sick that she hurt you, or worse…”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Hattie solemnly gazed at the floor until a smug grin appeared on her face. “Would it make things better if I told you that I managed to get a few hits on the Empress?”

Mu’s jaw dropped. “What!? How!?”

“Through a series of very intricate and very complex battle strategies,” she said dramatically, before bursting into a fit of giggles. “Nah, I’m just kidding. By pure luck!”

Mu playfully shook her head, shooting her a fond smile. “Just… be careful, alright? I don’t want anyone hurting you or that dorky top hat of yours.”

“Dorky? As if! This is style!”

“In what world?”

“In this one, of course!”

Amidst their playful banter, one of the cats that had managed to escape from them earlier snuck up behind Hattie, readying his bat. Not wanting his friend to get hurt, Timmy teleported in front of the Nyakuza member without thinking and shot a magical beam at him, realizing with horror that there was a slight red hue at the bottom. Quickly recalling his magic, Timmy nervously whirled around to meet his friends’ eyes.

Luckily, they hadn’t seemed to notice Timmy’s… err… color conundrum, since Hattie and Mu both gave him big smiles.

“Well, well, well! Look at what the cats dragged in!” Hattie laughed, nudging Timmy with her elbow. “Get it? Because—”

“Leave the terrible jokes to me, Hattie.” Timmy shot her a playful look of disapproval, ignoring how his hands started to twitch once more. “Glad you’re okay, though!”

While they were talking, Mu’s eyes darted around the room, presumably trying to locate any gang members who were still itching for a fight. When her gaze finally landed on something, she gasped and pointed to a very special object currently sitting atop the podium at the front of the jewelry store.

“My baby boy!” Timmy cheered. He was about to levitate Brad over to himself when a certain someone quickly darted in front of it.

“Looking for something?” the Empress sneered, making the teens back up a little in fear. “What? Thought you could escape without there being dire consequences?” She met eyes with Hattie and glared. “You of all people should know that I don’t take kindly to those who oppose me.”

The Empress snapped her fingers, prompting the last three remaining Nyakuza members to come crawling out of wherever they were lurking and grab Timmy, Mu, and Hattie. Despite all three having an incredibly lanky build, they were surprisingly strong, managing to hold Timmy and his friends down with only a little bit of effort.

Timmy felt his heart rate speed up with every second they were being restrained. They were so close! All they had to do was take Brad back and leave. That was it! They could do it... right?

But what if they weren't able to? What if they didn't make it? What if—

_No. Don't feel your fear. Don't be like them._

“Why do you even want the time piece!?” Hattie yelled, struggling in the cat’s grip. She managed to successfully get out, but was grabbed by the feline once more before she could make her escape. With a huff, she snapped, “We barely even know how it works, so it’s not like you’ll be able to figure it out, anyway!”

“Haven’t you figured it out by now, child? Ever since your little stunt four years ago, business around here has been terrible. My entire empire, my legacy… all ruined by some insufferable brat,” she hissed, creeping closer to her. “But now, I have the opportunity to reclaim what’s mine, and if I have to get a little blood on my paws in the process…” She unsheathed her claws and shot Hattie a wicked grin. “Then that’s a price I’ll have to pay. I will not have my empire crumble at the hands of some child. Not again.”

_No, no, no!_

“HATTIE!” Timmy shouted, trying his best to ignore the buzzing in his face markings that was slowly beginning to increase in intensity.

“DON’T YOU DARE LAY A CLAW ON HER!” Mu screamed, desperately trying to escape the hold that one of the cats had on her. “Don’t even think about hurting her, you terrible excuse of a jeweler! You and your entire organization will be brought to justice!”

“Be quiet, you mustached menace,” the Empress spat.

“NO! Let her go! Hurt me instead, coward!”

She scoffed. “You? No. You’re not the one I’m after. But if you really want, you can be next… after I finish this brat off once and for all.”

“STOP! PLEASE!” Tears began to well up in Mu’s eyes as her struggling became more frantic. “DON’T KILL HER! PLEASE! I LOVE HER!”

The Empress raised a paw and prepared to strike, ignoring the screams that came from Mu and the small gasp that escaped Hattie. Before her claws could hit her, however, Bow darted in between them and held out her bat in front of herself and Hattie like it was some sort of shield.

As the Empress’ claws got caught in the wooden material, she snarled and ripped her paw out of the bat, the force behind her movements causing the bat to go flying out of Bow’s hands. Letting out another hiss, the Empress forcefully grabbed her by the collar and held her up in the air.

“I should’ve known you’d be creeping around nearby,” she growled, facing her claws towards Bow instead of Hattie. “Such a major oversight on my part. After all, you've always been that hatted nuisance’s faithful little sidekick.”

At that word, a look of sadness flashed across Bow’s face before she shook her head and attempted to squirm out of the Empress’ hold.

“Tell you what,” the feline continued, seemingly beginning to cool down a little. “Since you didn’t actually have anything to do with the _incident_ four years ago, I’ll give you a chance to prove yourself. After all, a good businesswoman considers all of her options before making a decision.”

“Put me down!” Bow shrieked, kicking her feet wildly in an attempt to break free. “I’ll never work for you!”

“Oh, you pathetic child,” the Empress chuckled. “It appears you have forgotten who has the upper hand.” She inched her claws a bit closer to Bow, inducing her to stop flailing around and freeze.

_NO, NO, NO!_

“LET HER GO! It’s not her you’re after, it’s me!” Hattie cried, trying to force herself into the Empress’ line of sight once more. She was about to slip out of the Nyakuza member’s grip again when the Empress shot her an icy glare.

“If you or anyone else move one more inch or even make one more sound, the one with the bow gets it,” the feline threatened, effectively stopping Hattie right in her tracks.

The magic in Timmy’s veins started to flow at an incredibly overwhelming speed, giving rise to a light-headed feeling that only grew with each passing minute. A wave of nausea overtook him as tears threatened to cloud his vision.

_Don't feel it, don't feel it..._

No matter what the Badge Seller said or meant, he was nothing like MJ and Vanessa. He wouldn't lose control of his magic, and he wouldn't give in—no—he wouldn't _feel_ his fear. He was going to break free and help everyone out. He had to. He needed to.

"So, here's what you're going to do," the Empress explained, taking Bow's silence as some sort of agreement. "You're going to tell me what little information you do know about this hourglass of yours, and I'll let you live. In fact… I'll do you one better. Once my jewelry store is on top in every single timeline, you can stay by my side and inherit a fortune. What do you say? The correct answer is quite obvious."

"I don't care about money!" Bow shot back. "I'm not letting you use that time piece for your own selfish good! Timmy needs it to go home, and I’m not gonna let anything prevent him from doing that!"

“You don’t care about money, huh?” The Empress glanced around the room for a moment before her gaze landed on Timmy. A malicious grin spread across her face as a dark chuckle escaped her. “I see.” Facing Bow once more, she asserted, “Let me ask you this, then. What good are you getting out of that deal, hmm? Are you gaining anything from him going home?”

Bow faltered. “I… well…”

“I know what you really want, no matter how much you try and deny it. It’s pathetic, really,” she taunted, seeming quite amused at Bow’s apparent inner turmoil. “If you tell me what you know, I guarantee that I can give you what you want and so much more. Working for me has its perks, you know.”

“You don’t know what I want!”

“Oh, really? I don’t?” She turned away from Bow and met eyes with Timmy again. “Would you like to bet?”

When Bow realized who she was looking at, her eyes widened. “No, no, no! Stop! Don’t say it! I don’t want him to know! Not from you, at least!”

_…What?_

“That’s what I thought,” the Empress smirked, turning back to Bow. “So, what’ll it be, child? Is it a yes? Keep in mind what the consequences are if you say otherwise.”

Bow didn’t respond.

“Tick-tock, child. I’m running out of patience,” the cat said through gritted teeth.

Bow took a deep breath. “My answer is no,” she stated firmly. “No matter what I feel, no matter what I want… I will not put it above anyone else’s safety or what I believe is right. I will _never_ work with you.”

The Empress sighed. "Such nerve from a child who does nothing but put her heart over her head and make such foolish decisions in the process. Oh, well." She raised her paw once more. "Maybe I'll get the answers out of your little friends once they finally see what happens when you oppose me."

After that, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Someone screamed; Timmy wasn't sure if it was him or someone else. His vision turned red as his whole body began to twitch violently, making the cat who was holding him back shriek in surprise and loosen his grip. Using that to his advantage, he broke free and stumbled towards Bow and the Empress, blindly firing two bright red energy blasts in their direction.

The first one hit a ceiling tile, creating a small crack that slowly started to get bigger and bigger with each passing second.

The second one was a direct hit.

Timmy, however, did not hit the Empress.

He hit Bow square in the chest.

Due to the impact, she flew out of the Empress' paw and almost went crashing into one of the glass display cases, caught only by Hattie who had managed to get out of the Nyakuza member's grip in time.

Timmy felt everyone else's eyes on him as the amount of energy coursing through his veins threatened to weigh him down. He tried to keep himself steady on his feet, wanting to run to Bow and apologize, but he found himself unable to. The sight of her curled up in pain because of his own doing made him feel so disgusted with himself.

_You know what you're becoming, don't you?_

Timmy fell to his knees, not even attempting to hide the burning tears that were streaking down his face. How could he be this stupid? How did he allow himself to give into his fear? How did he let the thing that he was most afraid of happen?

He hurt her.

He hurt Bow.

“I’m sorry,” he tried to say, but the words only came out as a small whimper. Timmy tried again, but his throat tightened up as if it were punishing him by not even allowing him to apologize. Maybe it was for the best. He didn’t even deserve her forgiveness, anyway.

History really did repeat himself with him, despite all of the warnings he had received in his childhood. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he knew in his heart that he was just like MJ and Vanessa. He gave into—no—he allowed himself to _feel_ his fear, and this happened as a result.

_Don't try to deny it. You know full well what you're becoming._

Timmy barely registered the creaking noise that sounded somewhere above them, forcing everyone to look up in confusion. The ceiling gave way, and Johnny, along with a few ceiling tiles, came crashing down on top of the Empress. She fell to the floor, not even able to try and crawl out from under the weight of the debris.

"B-boss is down!? What do we do!?" one of the cats shrieked.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do. We gotta go!" replied the second. "The cops will be here any minute, and I'm not gonna stick around for that noise! It's every cat for themselves now!"

The third feline picked up his bat and spun around to face the door. "Well, you heard him! Go, go, go!"

And with that, the three remaining gang members scampered out of the jewelry store.

The Empress glared at their retreating forms. "Of course now is the moment I find out where their true loyalties lie. Oh, well. They'll soon live to regret that," she said slowly, a couple of coughs following her words. She then caught Timmy's gaze and shot him an evil, albeit very weak smirk. "Maybe _you_ should've been the one I tried to take under my wing. I guess you're not as incompetent as I thought, boy. After all, I wasn't the one who ended up hurting her."

Timmy didn't even try to argue against her. He simply watched as she slipped into unconsciousness.

When the initial shock of the fall finally wore off, Johnny hopped up and ran over to the podium at the front. He tossed Brad over to Mu, who caught it, albeit very hesitantly. "You kids gotta go! Security will be here any second, and by the looks of it, you need to give Bow some health pons ASAP!" He threw Bow’s bat over to Mu as well, glancing nervously at the metro outside.

“But what about—” Hattie tried to protest.

“Do you really want to be here to explain this!?” Johnny gestured to the store, which was completely in ruins. The display cases were shattered, the floor was charred due to all of the magic and explosives used, and a variety of claw marks were practically everywhere along the walls and floor.

Hattie looked like she wanted to question him more, but a faint whimper from Bow was enough to make her shake her head and pull out her time piece with her free hand. "He’s right. Mu! Timmy! Let's go!"

Timmy didn't move.

"Timmy?" Hattie tried again. "We gotta go!"

Apparently sensing that Timmy wasn't going to respond, Mu ran up to him and dragged him over to Hattie. Just as the faint footsteps of a few police cats were heard entering the store, they were beamed up into the spaceship.

As soon as they arrived in the main room, Hattie, who was still holding Bow, whirled around to face the others. "I'm gonna go put Bow on my bed so she can get some rest,” she explained, putting the time piece back in her pocket. “Mu? Timmy? Could you check and see if you picked up any extra health pons? I think I have enough, but just in case..."

Mu nodded, and Hattie raced off to the bedroom, being careful not to jostle Bow too much in the process. When the doors shut behind her, Mu turned to Timmy.

"Hey, are you...?" Her eyes widened. "Why are your face markings red?"

"I hurt her," Timmy whispered, his voice beginning to grow distorted. "I HURT HER!"

"Woah! Uh, she's gonna be alright, I'm sure of it! She just needs to rest—"

Timmy met her eyes, feeling a pang in his heart when she backed away from him in fear. "The one thing I was afraid of most..." The magic bubbling painfully in his chest seemed like it was clawing at his heart, giving him a painful reminder of what he was becoming—no—what he _was_.

“Timmy, you’re—”

Through the sobs that were beginning to escape him, he screamed, "I'M A MONSTER!”

The very moment those words escaped him, a blinding red light filled the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIGHTING THE EMPRESS IN HER JEWELERY STORE (GONE WRONG) (GONE CRAZY) (POLICE CAME)
> 
> After all of this time, I can't believe it finally happened... Johnny got lost in the pecking vents. His friends tried to give him a map of the vent system so this wouldn't happen, but what did he do?? He didn't pay attention. Wow. The nerve of some people. Also, this chapter is pretty serious, but the entire time I was visualizing Bow falling, my gremlin brain just went "MMM WHATCHA SAAAAY" and it ruined everything for me. 0/10. No stars. 
> 
> Anyway join us next time on Co-op for the chapter that I had a dream about last Friday?? Strange, strange, strange.


	17. Circling in the Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two friends who I got into AHiT a while back, right? Okay. So, I finally showed them what Timmy's voice sounds like (it appeared in the unofficial Timmy Day stuff and a mod or two), and both of their reactions made me lose it. One of them was like, "He sounds like a gremlin!!" when I played the first clip. The next clip I played was from the mod "Vaporwave Dream". When you reach a certain area, you just hear Timmy's voice ordering some food from McDonald's for... reasons. My other friend's reaction? "POV: you're Bow at 2 AM." I lost my mind.
> 
> Speaking of mods, I don't even know how or why I didn't say this earlier, but Timmy's face markings turning red was inspired off of his design in "The Ancient Gods" mod. The final version isn't out yet, but the first version is, and it's so good!! I think I cried at one point because it was so cool?? I don't know, but I highly recommend playing it if you're able to run mods on your game.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter is a bit longer than usual, but I didn't feel like splitting it up, so... sorry?? I just had a lot to write, I dunno.

Something felt off.

Something _definitely_ felt off.

Bow really wanted to brush it off as her waking up in Hattie’s bed instead of the pillow fort (when was the last time anyone had slept in this bed, anyway?), but something told her that wasn’t the case. Was it the fact that she wasn’t tightly gripping onto a pillow like she normally did when she slept? Her arms were feeling quite empty.

…No, that wasn’t right, either. This problem felt bigger than that.

Glancing around the bedroom, she began to notice a dull ache in her chest; one that was very reminiscent of the pain that remained whenever a body part didn’t fully heal from a health pon yet. How did that get there? Did she get hurt? If she did, what was powerful enough to temporarily withstand the effects of a health pon?

She had a feeling that the answer had something to do with her nerves, and that realization only made her dread the truth even more.

Bow gripped the covers tightly, trying her best to push her ever-growing anxiety away. She really hoped that whatever she was worried about turned out to be menial at best, just like all of her prob—

Wait, stop. Rephrase.

She really hoped that whatever she was worried about wasn’t too big, but the fact that her nerves only seemed to increase did nothing to alleviate the situation.

Something was off. Something was wrong.

But what was it?

A noise that sounded eerily similar to one of the blobs screeching resonated from the main room. However, unlike the sounds that the little creatures usually made, this shriek seemed more… distorted.

More distraught.

More _scared._

The doors opened, its faint mechanical whirr snapping Bow out of her thoughts. A frazzled-looking Hattie came stumbling in from the bedroom tunnel, her hair a mess and her top hat barely hanging onto her head. When her eyes landed on Bow, she let out a sigh of relief, though there still seemed to be a bit of an underlying panic seeping into her mannerisms.

“Hey! You’re up! That’s a good thing!” she said, giving Bow an extremely nervous smile. “So, how are you feeling?”

“Fine?” Bow responded, throwing a cautious glance her way. “What’s going on?”

A very loud crash rung out through the spaceship.

Hattie fiddled with her hands, awkwardly glancing around the room. “How much of today do you remember?”

“Umm…” Bow put a hand to her head. “Well, when I woke up this morning, I went straight to the kitchen because I was starving. I think I had the type of cereal that’s shaped like gears for breakfast? I don’t know, but afterwards, I decided to call my mom. She told me about this new TV show where—”

Another crash.

“Anything that happened a bit more recently?” Hattie urged anxiously. “Because I kinda need to know how much I gotta fill you in on.”

Bow thought for a moment, slowly beginning to recall what had just went down at the jewelry store. “Well, Timmy got kidnapped, so we had to go rescue him. The Empress threatened both me and you—which was terrifying, might I add—and then Timmy…” She froze. “Oh no.”

“Yeah, uh, after he hit you with his magic, he’s kinda been a little… uh… sad?”

Her heart stopped. “Exactly what do you mean by sad?”

At that moment, the unmistakable sound of an energy blast being fired filled Bow’s ears.

Hattie flinched. “Well, uh, you know him the best, right? What does it mean when his magic turns a bright red? Actually, scratch that. What does it mean when _he_ turns a bright red?”

Not even bothering to answer her, Bow flew out from under the covers and barreled out of the room, Hattie immediately racing after her. But before they could make it out of the bedroom tunnel, they nearly crashed into a very stressed Mu.

“What’s it look like out there, Mu!?” Hattie quickly questioned, hastily adjusting her top hat.

“Uh, well…”

A third crash.

“Bad. It’s looking bad,” she replied honestly. When her gaze landed on Bow, a hopeful, albeit small smile spread across her face. “She’s up!”

Hattie nodded. “She is!”

“Yeah, and she really needs to see what’s going on with Timmy before anything gets worse!” Bow huffed, gently pushing past Mu to run into the main room.

Her mind was running rampant with worst-case scenarios. What would she see upon entering the room? Would it be like what happened at the Subcon Village or much, much worse? And most importantly, was Timmy okay?

When she stepped foot onto the pink carpet and saw what awaited her, she got the answers to all of those questions.

Something was wrong.

Something was definitely wrong.

And that something broke her heart.

In the middle of the room, Timmy was floating in the air with his back towards the girls. He was muttering something to himself—Bow couldn't quite hear what it was—but he seemed so deeply distraught that she wanted nothing more than to just wrap him up in a hug and try to help him feel better. A bright vermillion light that grew brighter with each passing minute enveloped his body, as if the magic he once controlled was threatening to swallow him whole.

His body violently twitched, forcing him to let out a distorted cry of pain and a few heart-wrenching sobs. Through the tears, he kept on mumbling to himself, but Bow could only make out one word.

Monster.

Was he referring to himself?

“Oh, Timmy,” Bow said softly, reaching out a hand in his direction. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Mu tapped her on the shoulder and gestured for Bow and Hattie to follow her lead. Obeying, they all silently crept over to the couch and knelt down behind it.

"Alright, now you've seen him," Mu whispered to Bow, handing her bat back to her. "So, what's the plan?"

"Plan?" Bow whispered back, her eyes widening. "I-I don't know! I don't know what to do! What have you two been doing?"

"Our best," Hattie unhelpfully supplied.

Mu sighed. "We've been mainly dodging his attacks and trying to snap him out of it, but he just won't listen!"

Bow stopped. “I'm sorry, 'attacks'!? He's been attacking you!?"

"Well, he's been firing his magic at us, and I'm pretty sure that qualifies as an attack!" Mu retorted, crossing her arms. "I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to think we might have to fight him at this point."

“Fight him!? No! We’re not doing that!” Bow refused, dropping her bat to the side. “Didn’t you see how distressed he is? He’s already in pain, and I’m not going to hurt him even more. Fighting is not the right answer here. Right, Hattie?”

Hattie looked at the floor sheepishly. “Well…”

Bow turned to her in shock. “You too!?”

“Well, you haven’t even been awake for the past half hour! No matter what we say or how close we get to him, he just fires his magic at us without even a second glance!” Hattie protested. “He’s not himself right now. I don’t know how to snap him out of his magical frenzy, but we can’t reason with him if he doesn’t even let us speak!”

“Bow, look.” Mu shifted her body to face her. “I know you care about him a lot and don’t want to hurt him, but you know he’ll forgive you if you do! He won’t even think twice!”

“I’m not worried about that!” she shot back. Noticing that her volume was raising, Bow took a deep breath and continued in a quieter voice. “I’m just more concerned over the fact that you think he’s attacking you. He’s not. I know it.”

“Uh, hello?” Hattie motioned to the walls and floor, which were all charred with, no doubt, Timmy’s magic. “What’s all this, then?”

“Guys, listen. Why would Timmy attack us? It doesn’t make sense! Haven’t you realized that?”

Mu frowned. “What do you mean, ‘it doesn’t make sense’? It makes perfect sense to me! This is an attack, and that’s final!” When Bow didn’t say anything in response, she sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. “Bow, I promise that as soon as he can be reasoned with, we will stop fighting him and try to talk to him once more. I know we tease him and all, but Hattie and I love that boy, alright? Maybe not in the same way as you, but we still care for him and don’t want to hurt him either.”

“Mu, he—”

“We need to fight him, Bow. Look, as soon as it’s all over, we can shower him with all of the health pons in the world, and you can hold his hand and hug him or whatever. But right now?” She met Bow’s eyes. “He’s losing control. We need to fight him to bring him back to his senses.”

Hattie nodded. “It’s the only way, Bow. I’m sorry.”

Maybe it was naïve to think that Timmy wasn’t attacking them. Maybe Bow was putting her heart over her head and foolishly believing that fighting wasn’t the best option here. They had a point; Timmy wasn’t himself right now. Favoring emotions over logic was never the best choice to make in battle.

But this wasn’t a battle.

This was Timmy.

This was just a scared boy plagued with fear and guilt over something that he didn’t mean to do, not someone who was firing his magic with the intent to harm them. He wasn’t angry—at least, he wasn’t angry at _them._ Bow knew that all too well, and despite what they said, she knew that deep down, Hattie and Mu believed that too.

“He’s not attacking you,” she said firmly, standing up in determination, “and I’m gonna prove it.”

Before either of them could stop her, she hopped over the couch and marched over to Timmy, much to the very obvious dismay of Hattie and Mu.

“Bow! What are you doing? Come back!” Hattie hissed, peeking her head over the couch.

“Yeah! Whatever you’re doing, stop it! You’re gonna get hurt!” Mu added.

Bow paid no mind to their protests, only stopping when she was a few feet away from him. “Hey, Timmy!” she called, causing him to stiffen in surprise. "Look! I'm okay!"

When he whirled around to face her, Bow noticed that his face markings were glowing a bright red, just like that time when they were in the Subcon Village. Sadly, his eyes were shining that same shade of vermillion as well.

“Bow?” he murmured in a distorted voice, a relieved look crossing his face for a few seconds. It almost seemed like the mere sight of her was going to be enough to calm him down, but his expression was soon replaced by one of distress as a bright red energy blast formed in his hand. “STAY AWAY!”

He fired his magic at her, provoking Hattie and Mu to cry out in alarm from behind the couch. Bow, however, didn’t move. She simply watched as the energy blast flew towards her…

And whizzed over her head, completely missing her by a couple of feet.

Timmy hurled a couple more blasts at her, but Bow refused to move a muscle. She stood her ground as every single one of his “attacks” completely missed her, and eventually, he stopped firing and gazed at her in confusion.

“Why aren’t you running from me?” He hovered a bit closer to the ground, the red light around him slightly decreasing in brightness. “I hurt you! You need to stay away from me!”

“Hattie? Mu? Did any of his ‘attacks’ come close to hitting you, or have you just been dodging his magic out of instinct?” Bow asked, choosing not to respond to Timmy quite yet.

Hattie was quiet for a second. “Actually, no. None of his energy blasts came close to us, but I thought that was just because his magic was too unstable for him to aim properly,” she eventually responded.

“Let me ask you this, then. If Timmy lost control because he hurt me, why would he then proceed to attack us?” Briefly glancing at Hattie and Mu, she smiled, “Guys, he’s not trying to hurt us. He’s pushing us away so he doesn’t harm anyone again.” She turned back to Timmy. “Isn’t that right?”

He fell silent, avoiding her gaze.

Hattie and Mu came out from behind the couch and made their way over to Bow’s side. Timmy floated a bit father away from them, his hands starting to tremble.

“Stay away!” he repeated, his voice rising in volume. “I’m just going to hurt you again!”

Bow took a few steps closer to him, Hattie and Mu immediately doing the same. “Timmy, you’re not going to do that.” She reached her hand out towards him once more, frowning when he flew away even further. “Please, let us help you.”

He mumbled something that Bow couldn’t hear.

“What?”

“I said that I DON’T DESERVE IT!” The red light around him grew stronger again. “I don’t know why you’re trying to help me! I don’t know why you ever have! How can I be worth anything to you if I’m just like _them!?”_ A red beam formed in his twitching hands as a tear fell down his cheek. “All I’ve ever done is just messed everything up like I always do! I’M A MONSTER!”

“Mistakes do not make us monsters. Mistakes only serve as reminders that we’re imperfect, and that is alright. After all, the world would be quite boring if everything was perfect and happy all the time, wouldn’t you agree?”

The girls whirled around to see the Badge Seller behind them, giving Timmy a concerned look.

Timmy’s expression hardened. “Oh, great. It’s you. You gonna lecture me too? Don’t even waste your breath. I already know history’s repeating myself with me. I’m just like MJ, right?” With every inch the beam grew bigger, it grew more unstable. It almost looked like he was struggling to keep the magic within his hands. “In fact, if I’m related to him, maybe I’m related to _her,_ too! Isn’t that right!?”

They didn’t respond.

“I knew it,” Timmy whispered. “I should’ve seen this coming earlier. After all, we both hurt the people that we…” He trailed off, making eye contact with Bow. Timmy seemed like he really wanted to say something, but a flash of guilt appeared in his eyes and he moved his gaze elsewhere. “It doesn’t matter.” He glanced down at the beam in his hands and let out a dry chuckle. “Maybe I was wrong, and my story does end like this. Maybe history really is destined to repeat itself with me.”

“You are not a monster, Timmy. You are nothing like them. I may not know too much about your timeline, but I know that for a fact.” The Badge Seller moved closer to him. “No matter who you are related to, it’s important to know that feeling your fear, or any emotion whatsoever, is not a bad thing. While it is important to not let your emotions overtake you, it’s also important to allow yourself to feel. Repressing your feelings is never a good thing. It’s okay to be afraid. Your magic teacher should not have told you otherwise."

“My fear is what caused this in the first place! I’m not hurting her or any of you ever again!” His face markings turned an even deeper shade of red as his magic began to crackle and fizz. “NOW, STAY AWAY!”

Timmy slammed the energy beam down into the floor, its impact causing everyone to stumble back. They all managed to narrowly avoid the shockwave that resulted from the beam, but before any of them could do anything, Timmy teleported to the back of the room. Another twitch shot through his body, causing a pained, distorted screech to escape him, its soundwaves pushing everyone back even further.

“He shouldn’t be using magic that doesn’t belong to him. It’ll only amplify his symptoms,” the Badge Seller explained. “We need to act fast, young ones. We don’t have much time until he fully loses control.” It seemed like they were trying to appear calm and collected, possibly to not rile anyone else up even further, but Bow could tell that they were immensely worried for Timmy as well.

The red light around Timmy grew stronger, to the point where Bow could barely even see Timmy through it. His motions seemed a bit more sporadic, and it truly looked like he was slipping away from himself. Panting heavily, he started to fire his magic haphazardly—Bow wasn’t sure whether it was a last-minute desperate attempt to push them away or if it was a result of him truly losing control.

“What do we do now!?” Bow shouted to the Badge Seller, ducking under a blast. He was firing blindly now, which meant that there was a greater chance of him hitting someone. And if he did end up hitting someone, let alone her, well…

She knew that wouldn’t turn out good for any of them, to say the least.

The Badge Seller stared at Timmy for a moment before responding. “I’m… actually not sure. I know he needs something to remind him of himself, but he won’t listen to any of our pleas at all.”

Hattie opened up her umbrella and held it out in front of her. “Guys! Come here!”

Everyone else raced to the umbrella and ducked behind it.

“Not to brag or anything, but this baby should protect us for a while! It’s magic-proof!” she smirked, before turning to the Badge Seller. “He needs something to remind him of himself?”

“That is correct,” they confirmed. “Whenever a magic user is on the verge of losing control, they need something that reminds them of who they are, brings them comfort, or makes them feel at home. He needs to be brought down by something or someone that can accomplish that for him.”

“Something or someone that can hold him down?” Hattie repeated, glancing at the ground in thought.

“Well, that’s just great!” Mu grumbled. “What are we gonna do to remind him of himself? Give him an energy drink? Throw some chicken nuggets at him?”

Hattie laughed awkwardly. “I know you’re being sarcastic, but I was actually seriously considering doing both of those things.”

Mu groaned.

“Still.” She put a hand to her chin. “Something that holds him down? Something that makes him feel at home? Something like… something like…” She gasped. “An anchor!”

Mu raised an eyebrow. “Are you seriously suggesting that we’re gonna toss an anchor at this poor boy and hope it works? Because if so, I’m not doing that.”

“Not a physical anchor, an emotional one!” When nobody looked like they understood, Hattie continued on. “Back when we were in the Subcon Forest, I told Timmy about my anchors. My anchors are you guys! You guys kept me grounded to this planet and made me feel so loved, and that’s why I never left! I’m anchored to this planet!” A big grin spread across her face. “For the longest time, I thought that Timmy only had anchors in his timeline, but there has to be something that anchors him here.”

Something that anchored him here?

Bow poked her head out from the umbrella, her gaze immediately meeting Timmy’s. The guilty look in his eyes returned as the red light encased him even more.

“I’m so sorry,” he whimpered, curling himself up in the fetal position. “I can’t control this anymore. I can’t control _myself_ anymore.” His distorted voice grew thick with tears, causing Bow’s eyes to water as well. “It hurts. Everything hurts. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry…”

He repeated the phrase over and over again, each time getting more distraught than the last. A vermillion hue enfolded around a few of the objects in the room—most notably, the TV, couch, and burger plush—and they were all shakily lifted off of the ground.

Timmy was truly losing control of his powers, and him seeing Bow was not helping the situation at all.

With a heavy heart, she ducked back under the umbrella and faced Hattie and Mu. “You two need to talk to him. You’re both some of his most important anchors here.”

“Us?” Mu’s eyes widened. “But he won’t even listen to us! What makes you think that he’ll listen to us over you!?”

“He can’t even look at me without his powers getting worse. Believe me, I want nothing more than to hold him and tell him that everything’s going to be okay, but I’m probably just a painful reminder of everything that’s led to this moment!” Realizing she was getting a bit choked up, Bow cleared her throat and looked away from them. “He really does love you guys, you know. He’ll listen. I know he will. You just need to make him hear you!”

“Make him hear us?” Hattie furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“He’s not firing his at us anymore. I think he’s just… given up. He’s ready to surrender to his magic.” Bow pointed in Timmy’s general direction, not even having the heart to look at him again. “But the main takeaway here is that Timmy’s not pushing us away right now, so this could be our only chance. Talk to him. Comfort him. Please!” Quieter, she added, “I don’t want to lose him.”

Hattie and Mu gazed at her for a few seconds before they both nodded in determination.

“If that’s what you think should be done, then we’ll do our best!” Mu hopped to her feet and held out a hand to her girlfriend. “Ready, Hattie?”

“Time to beat him up with the power of love!” Hattie agreed, letting Mu pull her up. A few seconds after she said that, she cringed. “Great. Now I sound like those cheesy romance movies Bow likes. No offense.”

Bow shook her head. “None taken. They’re extremely cheesy.”

Hattie whispered something to Mu, who shot her a thumbs-up in reply and took off towards the floating couch. She jumped onto it, and after taking a few seconds to steady herself, brought herself to her feet.

Cupping her hands to her mouth, Mu shouted, “Hey, Timmy! Over here! Look at me!”

Timmy lifted his head from his knees, revealing his tear-streaked face.

“I know you feel like the scum of the earth right now,” Mu started, an almost uncharacteristic gentle tone to her voice. “You just hurt the person that you care about a lot and you feel so terrible. There are a thousand different emotions in you, and none of them are good. Plus, you’re filled with all of this power that you don’t even want anymore, and it’s just so awful and you want it all to stop!”

He gave her a confused look. “How do you know?”

“Because I’ve been there! I know what it’s like! It’s terrible!” Mu responded. “When I finally got the support and love I so desperately needed, it was strange at first. I thought I didn’t deserve it for the longest time, but when I finally accepted it, I felt so much better! Trust me on that, Timmy. I’ve been where you’ve been!”

“You’ve been where I’ve been? But…” He stared at her for a moment. “But you’re not a monster.”

“Well, then, neither are you! It’s okay to feel every single thing that you’re feeling right now.” When the couch floated a bit closer to Timmy (Bow wasn’t quite sure whether he consciously moved her closer to him or not), Mu smiled and continued on. “Even though fear may make you feel horrible, it’s important to know that fear, or any other emotion, actually, does not define you. You are not a bad guy for feeling negative emotions.”

Hattie leapt onto the TV, landing in a crouched position. “Mu’s right!” she agreed, getting to her feet. “You might be feeling so lost and alone right now—maybe even unloved—but we’ve all got your back, Timmy! Let us support you!” As soon as the TV floated a bit closer to Timmy, she whispered, “Let us be your anchors.”

Slowly, Timmy let go of himself, and the red light around him began to diminish.

“It’s working!” Bow gasped quietly. “They’re doing it! They’re helping him! What do we do now, Badge Seller?”

“We need to get the blobs and get them to absorb their magic back,” the Badge Seller answered. “Although your friend may be saddened by losing a couple of his new abilities, it’s ultimately for his benefit. From what I’ve seen, this unfamiliar magic has been reacting badly with his own, and if we can get it out of him, it will alleviate the situation a lot. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

“So, all we need to do is grab the blobs? Alright, then! We’ve got this! I can go run and get them!” Bow was about to jump to her feet and sneak off towards the lab when the Badge Seller reached out a hand to stop her.

“I’m afraid there’s still one more thing that needs to be done, young one,” they interjected. “Your friends are helping him a lot, but he still needs one more thing. He still needs that final anchor, so to speak, to bring him down.”

Bow fell silent for a few seconds, racking her brain to try and figure out what the Badge Seller was implying. Then, “Are you suggesting that we actually need to throw food at him? I mean, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t really question it, but it is kind of weird.”

“That—no. That’s not what I’m suggesting,” they sighed. “I was implying that _you_ need to talk to him.”

“Me?” Bow pointed to herself. “No offense, but I really don’t think that’s the best plan. I really want to, believe me, but you’ve seen what happens when he merely looks at me! I’m just making things worse! Plus, we’ve already met our flowery speech quota for the day—”

“You know you’re the most important person to him, yes?”

She stopped. “I’m sorry?”

“Although I haven’t seen you interact with him that much, I can already tell that his fondness for you extends far beyond what he feels for any other person in his life. Plus, seeing as the blobs were primarily made up of his magic, it also explains why they’re so fond of you,” they said slowly. “If there’s one person that’s going to be able to bring him out of this magical frenzy, it has to be you.”

She squinted her eyes in confusion. “I’m sorry, but I don’t really get what you mean.”

The Badge Seller hesitated for a moment, shooting a quick glance at Timmy. “It’s not my place to say.” Turning back to Bow, they continued, “You just need to make him hear you, as you said, and don’t let him pull away from you.”

“What if he wants to pull away from me?”

“Do you really believe that he wants that?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Well, do _you_ want that?”

“If it’s what’s best for him—”

“But is it what you want?”

Bow didn’t answer.

The Badge Seller put a hand on her shoulder. “As I’ve stated before, young one, you are the most important person in his life. Since that’s true, it’s not illogical to assume that he’s only pulling away from you because he’s scared. But you mustn’t let that deter you. You need to talk to him.” Meeting her eyes, they said firmly, “It has to be you.”

Being important in the grand scheme of things (let alone actually being important to the people that mattered in her life) was still a concept that was quite foreign to her. After a lifetime of subjecting herself to the background and trying not to get in anyone’s way, being suddenly thrust into the limelight was… uncomfortable. How did Hattie manage to do things like this at such a young age? How was she still standing after all of this time?

How could she bravely throw herself into situations like these time and time again, knowing just how much she was risking?

At that moment, Bow suddenly realized how much pressure being “the main character”, as it were, truly had. She wasn’t used to being the one to save the day at all. For the longest time, she was perfectly content with just being an afterthought; nothing more than a childish doodle on the pictures taken of her best friend’s journey. Even if she wasn’t the main character of her life, she’d be fine knowing that her friends were happy and satisfied with who they were.

Four years ago, she resigned herself to that belief, convincing herself that her story would never be as important as anyone else’s. After all, who would care about some lousy sidekick?

…Timmy would.

And he still does.

And she cared about him too.

They promised to stick together, didn’t they? Even if she wasn’t the sidekick or co-op player that she believed herself to be, she would still hold true to that promise, and she knew he’d do the same.

Taking a deep breath, Bow rose to her feet, earning a proud smile from the Badge Seller. “When I’m talking to him, you and the others can sneak off to the lab and get the blobs.” She scanned her surroundings, and her eyes landed on the burger plush that was hovering a little ways away from Timmy. “I’m doing this for the both of us, Timmy. We both deserve to be in control of our stories.”

With that, she took off towards the burger plush, a newfound confidence surging through her veins. She launched herself at the plush and bounced off of it, using its boost to propel herself towards him.

“Incoming!” she shouted, causing him to whirl around and face her.

He barely had time to let out a noise of surprise before she collided with him, forcing him to momentarily lose his balance in the air. They went tumbling about for a few moments, leading Bow to wrap her arms around his neck, firmly intent on not letting him go.

When Timmy finally regained his balance, he angled them so they were upright and tightly gripped onto her. “What are you doing!?”

“Oh, you know. Just circling in the air with the person I care very deeply about. How about you? What are you doing?”

“Let go! You’ll fall!”

“Not with you holding onto me like this. Besides…” After making sure she was fully secure in his arms, she loosened her grip on him and looked him in the eyes. “This time, you’ll be my parachute, and I know you won’t let me fall. You know I trust you with my life, right?”

“Why?” he questioned, his voice sounding slightly less distorted. “Why have you always been so nice to me? Why do you keep calling me your comfort and saying that I mean so much to you when I’ve just made your life miserable for the past six months!?”

She looked at him in concern. “Made my life miserable? You haven’t done that!”

“Yes, I have! I read your songbook and invaded your privacy, I insulted your friends, my stupid idea of absorbing the blobs’ magic led to this in the first place, and I hurt you!”

“Those were all accidents!” she retaliated. “Okay, maybe not the songbook one, but still! I forgive you! Besides, you helped me—”

Timmy scoffed. “So what if I helped you out once? I don’t deserve to be your comfort. I bet that once I leave this timeline, everything will be better for you. I bet you want me to go, right? You should!”

“That’s not what I want,” Bow stated firmly.

“It should be!” He glanced away from her and weakly added, “It’s better for you, anyway. You didn’t deserve for all of this bad stuff to happen to you.”

“Better for me?” Her eyes widened. “No! That’s not the case at all. Look, whatever crazy thing life threw my way, I didn’t mind having to work through it if I had you by my side! I can guarantee that, because—”

“Because why? Because I’ll be leaving tomorrow and you’ll finally be able to clean up all of this damage I’ve done? Because once I’m gone, you won’t have to deal with all of my magical problems anymore?”

“No!”

“Then why!?”

“BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO STAY!”

Timmy froze. “You… what?”

“I want you to stay,” Bow repeated, softer this time. “I know you can’t. Believe me, I know. But I wasn’t lying when I said all of those things about you! If you really made my life miserable like you said you did, why would I want you to stay?”

The red glow in his eyes started to disappear. “Why _do_ you want me to stay?”

“Well… I…”

That simple question was enough to make Bow realize that for the first time, she was at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say to get through to him; what words would even carry enough weight to get her message across? She always enjoyed being the one to lift others up when they were down, but if she couldn’t…

Maybe words really were failing her.

But maybe words weren’t what she needed right now.

If every possible thing she wanted to say to him in this moment could be summed up in a simple action, she had to do it. No more waiting. No more dancing around the truth. It was now or never.

They only had tomorrow, anyway.

“I want you to stay,” she started, summoning all the courage she could muster up, “and this is why.”

“What are you—”

To answer his question in the most effective manner, she leant forward and kissed him.

Out of all the risks Bow had taken in her life, this was by far the biggest. She didn’t know where this would take her, and the uncertainty and doubt that plagued her mind was beginning to make her regret what she was doing. Maybe she should pull away? She didn’t know if he was comfortable with this, and frankly, cutting someone off with a kiss could be perceived as kind of rude, and—

Holy peck.

He was kissing her back.

After years and years of watching romance movies and wanting to be loved but believing that she didn’t deserve it, everything felt so surreal. Even if this moment was all that they had together, Bow knew she would keep it close to her heart for the rest of her life. Someone treasured her enough to wrap her up in their arms with the intent of never letting go. Someone treasured her enough to care about her wellbeing and to listen to her troubles, even when she felt like she didn’t deserve it.

Someone treasured _her._

She felt like she could cry.

Who knew she’d grow to care so deeply about a boy she found in the dumpster?

Bow felt them slowly make their descent to the ground, noticing the thud of the objects that most likely just fell to the floor, the rapid footsteps of her friends around them, and the faint gurgling of the blobs that gradually increased in volume. She didn’t care about any of that, though. She just pulled him closer, trying her best to let him know that she was there for him no matter what.

It was only when she heard Timmy land that she separated from him, wondering why her feet weren’t touching the ground when his clearly were. A quick glance at their position made her figure out that he was lifting her up so they were eye-level.

“Oh,” she said. “I’m short. I forgot that for a second.”

He laughed, and Bow gave him a big smile when she saw that his eyes and face markings were completely back to normal. As soon as he set her down and let go of her, he was immediately tackled in a hug by Hattie.

“You’re okay!” she beamed, squeezing him tightly. “I was so worried that you’d… but you’re okay! I promise that I’ll never replace your chicken nugget stash with a bunch of stickers ever again!”

“Yeah, I—” Timmy stopped himself. “Wait, what’d you do to my chicken nugget stash?”

Mu ran up to them and joined in on the hug. “We’re so glad you’re alright, buddy! How are you feeling?”

Timmy hesitated. “I feel, like, a thousand different things at once,” he admitted, returning their embrace. “I’m really sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to lose control on you like that.”

Hattie shook her head. “Don’t apologize! You were given bad advice and under a lot of stress! It’s not your fault!”

“She’s right,” Mu agreed. “We’re not gonna judge you for being overwhelmed. We’ve all made some… really bad choices in the past, but we’re all doing our best to help each other move past that, and that includes you.” She patted his back. “Deep down, we’re all just a bunch of scared kids who want to act like we have it all together, but we don’t. You’re not a monster, Timmy.”

“The world just feels like it’s against us, like, all the time, and honestly, it kinda sucks,” Hattie commented. “But even when that happens, we just gotta have each other’s backs! We really do love you, Timmy. We’re all here for you, alright? Don’t forget that.”

“Yeah! You’re our favorite Trash Boy, how could we not love you?” Mu side-eyed Bow, shooting her a smug look. “I mean, a certain someone _may_ love you a bit differently than the rest of us, but you know. Our point still stands.”

Bow then suddenly decided to avert her gaze to literally anywhere else in the room. Not for any particular reason, of course. She just thought that the control panel looked really interesting right about now.

Ooh, buttons.

“So, everything that you guys said was true? Even…” Timmy looked at Bow hopefully when she finally chose to face the group again. “Even you?”

“Of course, dummy!” Hattie chirped.

“Everything I said was the whole truth,” Mu reassured.

“I meant everything I said and did wholeheartedly,” Bow honestly, albeit shyly, confessed.

Hattie and Mu exchanged a knowing look with each other before stepping away from Timmy.

“I, uh…” Bow took a deep breath in an attempt to steady herself. “I really like you. A lot. If you couldn’t tell. I know we don’t have much time left together, but in the time we do have, would you, uh…” A nervous smile spread across her face. “Would you like to, you know, actually _be_ together? If so, that’d be, uh, well, in your words… that’d be rad, dude.”

Timmy rushed over to her and embraced her tightly, causing her to let out a squeal of surprise. “I’d love that, cause, well, I like you a lot too,” he breathed. “That’s why I was so scared of hurting you. That’s why I was so scared of _losing_ you.”

Bow returned the embrace. “You won’t lose me. We made a promise to stick together, for better or for worse, and I’m holding true to that.”

“Me too,” he said softly.

“WHOO! THEY DID IT! FINALLY! GROUP HUG PART TWO!” Hattie cheered, wrapping her arms around Bow and Timmy. “I totally saw this coming since the beginning and definitely didn’t deny it!”

Mu rolled her eyes. “Yeah, alright. I totally believe you,” she said, totally not believing her. After glancing at everyone else for a few moments, she shrugged and put her arms around them. “I guess I’ll join in on this group hug too. We’re already being a bunch of saps, anyway.”

Looking up at Timmy, Bow saw that his eyes were watering up once more, but this time, she could tell it was due to pure happiness and gratitude. “Thank you. All of you. You guys are truly radical.”

“You’re always welcome,” Bow replied. The secure feeling that arose from being held by all of her friends made her close her eyes and relax, and she had an inkling that the others were all doing the same. “Always.”

Maybe they didn’t have everything figured out, but they were at least going to get through this crazy rollercoaster of life together. Even though they only had a few hours left before Timmy went home, Bow knew that no matter what, they’d always—

“Hey, y’all! I’m back!” CC called, no doubt having just beamed herself up to the spaceship with a spare time piece. “Sorry I’m late. There was just so much security around the metro for some reason, so I could barely get anywhere without being taken aside for questioning! I brought that leftover pecan pie, though, and— WHAT IN TARNATION HAPPENED TO THE ROOM!?”

Everyone separated from the hug and glanced around at their surroundings. The walls and carpet were charred from Timmy’s magic, the now gigantic blobs were passed out in the corner, and most importantly, the burger plush was now sitting on the right side of the room.

“Uh… renovations?” Bow tried.

CC raised her eyebrows, unamused.

A long sigh escaped Hattie. “I’ll tell you what happened,” she said solemnly, before a big grin spread across her face. “Bow finally got her first kiss!” Smug dancing, she began to chant, “Bow got kissed! Bow got kissed! Bow got kissed!”

When Mu, and surprisingly, Timmy (really!?) joined in on the chant, Bow facepalmed.

This had been the weirdest day ever.

But a good weird, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bow: *kisses Timmy in front of literally everyone*  
> Also Bow: What?? Me?? Love him?? Haha, no, that's- *bolts out of the room*  
> Kids, am I right?
> 
> Happy (late) Valentine's Day!! The funny thing about this chapter is that I actually had a dream about it?? It wasn't long or anything, but it was right at the moment where Bow was thinking about what to say to Timmy. As soon as she leaned in to kiss him, though, my alarm clock went off and I woke up. Y'all don't know how angry I was. Shout-out to the concept of time for existing, I guess.
> 
> You know, originally, Timmy's arc was going to be him going power-hungry with all of this magic in him. I then had the very vivid mental image of him singing "How Bad Can I Be?" and proceeded to quickly throw that idea in my mental dumpster and go with the "feel your feelings~" stuff. The blobs represent his main emotions, but I'm sure you got that. Squishy is his "hunger" (both related to food and his zest for life), Marshmallow is his love for... y'know... people... and Bob's his fear. Since his fear was his strongest emotion at the time, that's why Bob could talk.
> 
> I know I usually don't say what songs Bow's chapter titles are from, but... Candle on the Water... no, I haven't seen Pete's Dragon, so I don't really know the context. I just heard a cover one day and went, "yep." Anyway, next time on Co-op?? Uh, you know, I don't really know what to say. Oh, I got it! Join us next time on Co-op where I definitely don't cry while writing the next chapter :)


End file.
